Twist in Time
by Alisa180
Summary: The hunters recieve an unexpected visitor from the far future who has come to fight an enemy from his time trying to alter the past! MegaManXMegamanZX crossover!
1. Chapter 1

This is my third fanfic on and my first MegaMan fanfiction. This is one of the many crossovers I've thought up and I sincerely hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: All Megaman X and ZX characters belong to Capcom. Not me.

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Zero looked over the mass of defeated Machniloids with little interest. It frustrated him to no end that the majority of the enemies in the area could only be hurt by his saber.

Which meant he was stuck out here taking care of the small fry while X and Axl went in and took care of the Maverick.

He was in the ruins of an old city. So old, there was a fair amount of vegetation growing over the buildings. Behind him was the crumbling building that his friends had gone inside.

Sighing in a bored manner, he absentmindedly kicked at one of the destroyed Mechaniloids. Even though it looked like most of the enemies had been taken care of he still had to stand out here and keep watch in case more came. As much as he wanted to face down the Maverick himself, he knew that if any of the enemies that could only he could defeat got past him, X and Axl would be in serious trouble as their attacks wouldn't affect it.

_I cannot believe that out of all those Mavericks Axl has defeated not one of them carried a saber like me! It would sure as heck help if he had the abilities of a sword-wielding reploid so I'm not the only one who has to go on guard duty in situations like this! _Zero thought to himself in an irritated manner. Still though, he didn't want to be the one responsible for putting his friends in a dangerous position, especially if it happened while they were facing down the Maverick.

It was the only thing stopping him from simply rushing in there to join the battle.

The com in his helmet beeped. Zero reached up and activated it, "Zero here."

"_Zero, this is X. We were successful in defeating the Maverick. We are warping back to base now."_ Zero sighed in relief. End of mission. He would finally get out of here before he died of boredom. Another voice came over the com,

"_Man Zero, you should have been there! I thought that we were goners a few times of cour-"_ The voice at the other end was suddenly cut off. Zero knew his friends well enough to know what has happened at the other end of the line. X had slammed his hand over Axl's mouth before he could continue, knowing that the younger reploid's discussion of the battle would not help Zero's mood.

Zero actually managed to chuckle a bit. Some murmurings on the other end of the line, then Zero spoke, "I'm heading back to base now. I'll meet up with you two there."

"_Alright Zero. Hurry back."_ Came X's voice.

"_Roger that Z! Axl, over and out!" _The communication was then cut off.

Just as Zero was preparing to teleport back to base, he heard rustling in some nearby bushes. He immediately readied himself. A surge of excitement went through him. Maybe he would get some action after all!

Zero stood there, in a battle ready position, as the bushes continued to rustle. When something leapt out of the bushes, he was ready.

Zero jumped upward at his target, more than eager for battle. What happened in the next few minutes came as a nasty shock to him.

The first thing that happened was that his saber met in midair…with another saber. Taken off guard, within just a few seconds he had pushed against the other saber with his own in order to leap back, while his foe did the same.

The second thing that happened was when he had landed firmly on both feet, he looked up to see just who he was fighting…and nearly fell over.

The best way he could describe it was…a human-like version of him. The person had red armor like him, but it looked considerably lighter and less clunky then the armor he wore and there wasn't a helmet. He had long blond hair although it wasn't in a ponytail like Zero's was. A black visor hid his eyes and there was a red triangular mark on his forehead.

The mystery person readied himself with his saber. Then suddenly stopped. He looked over Zero carefully, and then came out of his battle stance.

"Sorry. I thought that you were a Maverick." The person said.

Zero took a battle stance. He didn't trust this guy one bit. He looked too much like him for it to be coincidental and he was going to get out of him what he was doing even if it meant using "brutal" methods.

"Who the hell are you!?" Zero growled.

The person chuckled a bit, "Ease up. I'm not Maverick. I came here on a mission."

Zero relaxed his position slightly, his facing taking a confused look, "Mission?" Just who was this guy?

The person looked at Zero calmly, "One thing at a time alright?" He smiled slightly, "You asked who I am. Well, truth is, I'm not even of this time."

"Not of this time?" Just who was this guy?

"That's right. I'm from the future to be exact." A wind blew by as the person continued,

"My name is Girouette or Giro for short."

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I know that was a REALLY short first chapter but I promise that the next one will be longer. I hope I kept everyone in character.

In the next chapter Giro meets the rest of the hunters and explains a bit more about what he's doing in their time and about the time he came from.

Please R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone and welcome to the second chapter of "Twist in Time!" First of all I would like to thank those that reviewed. I really appreciate it! As promised, this chapter is a bit longer than the first. I am going to try to update every week or every other week.

Disclaimer: Megaman X and Megaman ZX both belong to Capcom. Not me!

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At the Maverick Hunter HQ, two reploids teleported in.

"Phew! That was some mission, eh X?" The black reploid spoke in his usual cheerful tone.

X managed a small smile. Axl may be a kid at heart, but his optimism certainly helped lighten things up. And his immaturity certainly didn't stop his from being one of the best hunters there was. At times, especially considering how close friends he and Axl were now, it was hard to believe that X had nearly resented Axl at one point.

"I'm really glad to see you both made it back intact. The mission was a success." Both reploids turned to regard Alia, who was at a nearby computer terminal.

"Has Zero come back yet?" X asked.

"Er…" Alia suddenly looked nervous. X's brow furrowed. Zero was supposed to already be at base. What could possibly be holding him up?

Axl piped up "Why wouldn't Zero be back yet? He was probably bored out of his mind during that mission."

"Actually, we detected another signal right near Zero's." Alia stated.

"Another Maverick?" X inquired. Alia shook her head.

"No, not Maverick, it's…different…different from any other signal I've seen before…ah wait, Zero is teleporting in now."

X and Axl turned just as Zero warped in…accompanied by another reploid. What was strange about this reploid was that he looked so much different from any other reploid they had ever seen, yet at the same time he bore an uncanny resemblance to Zero.

"So this is the Maverick Hunter base, hm?" The reploid faced X and Axl, who were looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and caution. Zero cleared his throat,

"Ahem, everyone, this is Girouette or Giro as he apparentaly prefers to be called," Zero cast a glance at the reploid behind him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," said Giro very politely, "And ease up, you're all as stiff as Zero here when I encountered him!" He added as they all just stared at him.

"You're the source of the strange signal," Alia spoke.

"How do we know you're not Maverick?" X demanded.

"If I was Maverick wouldn't your friend here have fought me instead of bringing me here?" Silence met him at that logic. Zero wasn't normally the kind to drag someone home with him. Now everyone was wondering just why Zero had brought Giro to MHHQ.

X was the first to speak, "Zero the mission was a success, but why did you bring him," he pointed at Giro who flinched a little, "back to base with you?"

"He claims to be from the future. But I don't know how much of the crap he's told me to believe." Zero cast another glance at Giro, who had tensed a little. If the hunters decided not to trust him, it would not bode well for him at all.

"He looks so much like you though Zero!" Axl finally burst out.

"I know," said an exasperated Zero.

Giro meanwhile was starting to worry about his situation. True, he _did_ resemble the crimson hunter to the point of possible suspicion. But he did not want that to keep him from attaining his goal.

"Excuse me," he finally spoke, interrupting their conversation, "I know my appearance may be cause for suspicion, but I must ask you if you would all please take me to meet with your commander. It's very urgent."

"Yeah, he's supposed to be on some kind of "mission" but he won't tell me what the hell that mission is!" said Zero. Giro was becoming starting to become more and more exasperated at the hunters treating him like he wasn't even there.

Alia turned to X, "Well, what do you think?"

"It's your call X," said Axl.

X looked down, deep in thought for a moment. When he lifted his head back up, he finally said, "We aren't sure how trustworthy Giro is, but if the mission is urgent, then we cannot afford to risk that a great danger may be coming. Therefore, we should probably take him to see Signas."

Giro breathed a mental sigh of relief as the blue hunter turned to him and continued, "We will personally escort you to the command room. And we expect a full explanation when we get there!"

As everyone began to file out, Zero thought he hear Giro mutter something, and then,

_It certainly would have helped if they had cared to acknowledge you just a little bit more._

Zero blinked and turned to Giro, "Did you say something?"

Giro gave a confused look, "No, why?" Zero just shook his head,

"Thought I heard someone." It was strange really. It was like the voice had echoed inside his head. He hoped it had just been his imagination working up. _If it happens again I'll have to tell X. Because he'll eventually find out anyway and I'll probably never hear the end of it._

Everyone could feel the tension in the command room. Only Signas was seated, with everyone else preferring to stand. X was eyeing Giro suspiciously. Zero was leaned against a nearby wall with an uncaring attitude. Axl looked curious and even felt a little bit sympathetic towards Giro. After all he knew what it was like to be scrutinized be X.

"So you claim to be from the future?" Signas asked.

"That is correct sir."

"Then tell us, what is your time like?"

_Go ahead and tell him._ Zero's brow furrowed. That damn voice he had heard earlier again.

"Now where do I start?" Giro muttered, half to himself, "Let's see, first of all I'm a battle reploid from a time period a few centuries ahead of this one. I'm part of a group that your time would probably refer to as Maverick Hunters."

"There are still Mavericks in your time?" Signas asked.

"Yes."

A silence fell in the room. It was a bit of blow to the hunters to learn that despite all their efforts, Mavericks would still exist centuries from then.

"What about you? Are you like a future version of Zero coming to warn us of some impending doom?" Axl asked, maybe just a bit too casually.

"No more sci-fi movies for you," was X's response. Giro simply laughed.

"Ha ha! But no, the fact that me and him," he nodded towards Zero, "Look so alike is a mere coincidence." He then smiled, "The only reason I recognized him earlier is because he looks so much like one of the reploids of legend. Same for you." He said looking at X.

"What about me?" Axl asked eagerly.

"No I didn't recognize you, sorry." Axl wilted a bit.

"But besides all that I'm here on an urgent mission. In my time, the Maverick problem isn't as severe as it apparently is in this time. In fact, my group is relatively small in comparison to the hunters of this time. But soon that may all change." H paused for a moment, and then continued.

"Two Mavericks from my time found a way into this time and now intend to alter it to their benefit. I must request the assistance of the Hunters of this time if I'm to be successful in my mission."

"Who are this Mavericks specifically?" Signas asked.

"I can't tell you that at the moment but when they decide to show themselves, you'll know."

"Well what do you think Signas, should we trust him?" X asked.

Signas thought for a moment, then finally said "If there is truly a danger and since he has given us no reason _not _to trust him, then yes, we should believe him."

Giro looked immensely relived, "Thank you."

"But until these Mavericks do show up, Giro, you are more then welcome to bunk with the hunters here."

"If I may, I would like to have my own private quarters. Personal reasons." He added.

Signas sighed slightly, "Very well then."

When Giro finally reached the room he had been assigned to, the first thing he did was turn off the lights so it was pitch black in the room. With any luck, the hunters would take it as a sign that he was not to be disturbed.

There was a flash of light in the dark, and then,

_Well you certainly did a very good job with your cover-up._

"I can't afford to alter this time more than it already has been. I couldn't let the hunters know about what their future possibly is. It was too risky."

_You know they are going to find out the truth sooner or later._

"I am hoping to return to our own time before it reaches that point."

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Phew! Finally finished the second chapter! ZX players may know who Giro was conversing with in that last scene. But just who was that voice Zero heard? And who are the Mavericks? I'll reveal the Mavericks in the next chapter (any guesses as to who they possibly are?) and as for the voice in Zero's head, that's for a much later chapter!

Make sure to review!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone and here's the third chapter of "Twist in Time!" And now, to respond to the reviewers:

???: Yes, Vent/Aile is, in fact, scheduled to make an appearance. I can't say anything else without spoiling it!

Shadowneko003: Thanks for the review! Nice guess but who knows? I may just decide to have Serpent/Model W make an appearance if the reviewers demand it although I don't know how I'll work it in.

MungoJerry: I'll try to make the story more descriptive. And thanks for the review!

Chewycrcodile: Giro WAS a cyber-elf (Or whatever happened to him in ZX). But he was resurrected. I'll get into more detail in later chapters!

In this chapter, the Mavericks from Giro's time show themselves, and the encounter takes a surprise twist!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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The next morning, X was the first one up. He always liked to get up early and watch the sunrise from the roof of the base. And besides that, he had a lot to think about, mostly about what had transpired the previous day.

As he watched the night sky slowly light up with the colors that marked the start of the day, his mind began to wander. He still wasn't entirely sure how trustworthy Giro was. Perhaps he just didn't want to trust him because he didn't want to believe that no matter what they did, Mavericks would continue to exist.

X had always assumed that as soon as they were able to defeat their arch nemesis, Sigma, then they would stop the Mavericks for good.

But what if there wasn't a way to permanently destroy Sigma? Or what if, after Sigma was destroyed, the Virus simply found a new host to turn into an instrument of evil?

It was a depressing thought, but how else was he able to explain that Mavericks continued to exist, centuries after he, Zero and Axl were gone?

Giro was wandering through the base as it slowly came to life. Navigators were heading for their stations and hunters were going to be debriefed on their more recent missions.

Although for everyone else it was typical daily bustle, it held a certain level of curiosity for Giro. After all, he was in a time so much different from his own. It was interesting to see history play out right before him instead of just reading about it.

He himself was drawing some curious looks. After the previous day's events, word has spread quickly of the reploid from the future. Some hunters were still skeptical about Giro's claim that he was from the future. And one those reploids was watching him from the shadows at that very moment.

"I still don't get it!" The reploid growled. He and his companion were hidden in the shadows, but a silhouette of a serpent-like reploid could still be seen. "How could the commander let him in so easily? He could be lying for all we know!"

"Think of it this way," His friend said carefully, "If there really is a danger to our time, don't you think its better to just go ahead and trust him rather than risk facing a danger that only he can handle?"

The serpent-reploid growled, "I still don't like it."

"Hey! Giro! Wait up!"

"Hm?" Giro turned around just in time to see the black, oranged-haired reploid he had met yesterday, Axl was his name if he remembered right, run up to him. "Yes what is it?"

Axl stopped in front of him, puffing a bit, "I…was…just…seeing…what…phew…you were doing…this morning."

"I don't have anything on my hands at the moment, why do you ask?"

Axl smiled, "Well, I wanted to ask you more about your time, are there really still Mavericks?" Giro smiled sadly,

"I'm afraid so, although there aren't as many, thankfully."

As they began to walk through the base together, Axl continued to pepper Giro with curious questions, all of which Giro answered patiently.

"So the Virus is still around in your time?"

"The Virus?"

"Y'know! The Maverick Virus!"

"I have truly no idea what you're talking about."

"Really?"

"In my time, a Maverick is defined as a reploid or Machaniloid that attacks people. I've never heard of any 'virus.'"

"Huh." Now THIS was interesting. If the Virus was nonexistent in Giro's time, then that meant that there was something else causing Mavericks. But what? Something told Axl that, at the moment, he didn't want to know.

Zero was in another part of the base, leaning against a wall, worrying about his own problems. That damn voice in his head continued to pester him. It seemed to happen at random times and it never seemed to say anything directed toward him. It was a disturbing development; one that he was planning to tell X about once he got the chance. He hoped it wasn't a sign he was going Maverick.

Because that was the last thing he needed.

A voice over the intercom interrupted his thoughts,

"X, Zero, Axl, and Giro, please report to the main command room immediately."

Zero let out a weary sigh. He had a feeling that if whatever the situation was involved Giro, then it meant that the situation involving him was going to get a hell lot more complicated.

In the command room, Alia was pointing to two odd signals on the screen.

"We just picked up this signals from Sector 8. They are different from normal Maverick signals. That's why we called all four of you down to the base."

"It's them," Giro breathed, looking at the screen. Turning to the group, he said quickly, "We need to get over there right now!"

"Wait, who is it?" Axl asked.

"The Mavericks from my time! It has to be them!"

"You sure it's the Mavericks from your time?" X asked.

"Positive. And there's no telling what the damage they'll two if we don't get over there!"

Alia nodded in understanding, "We already have the teleporters on standby."

_District 8_

This part of the city was surprising well kept. There weren't as many skyscrapers as in comparison to others parts, but many of the building were very well maintained.

People, humans and reploids alike, were fleeing, as a fire attack engulfed a nearby building. Screams of terror could be heard, and one reploid was savoring every minute of it.

"Heh heh, I'm loving this! If this doesn't draw out the Guardian hiding in this time, I don't' know what will!" Prometheus cackled. He was a black-armored reploid with a helmet that resembled a pointed skull. He also wore a turquoise cape and carryed a scythe bigger than him. He was standing on top of a building along with another reploid, Pandora.

"We must take care not to underestimate our opponent Prometheus…" Pandora spoke. She was a white and light-blue reploid with a red crystal on her helmet and carried a yellow staff. "Recall what happened with Model W…And if we do not exercise enough caution before the time is right…we risk eliminating ourselves…"

"Aw quit worrying! With the safeguard we have, we don't have to worry about that at all!" Laughing evilly, he jumped up and swung his scythe downward, sending a burst of fire to incinerate the buildings below. He chuckled listening to the screams.

Pandora said nothing, just simply lifted up her staff. A blast of ice froze the streets below, cracking many of them, and tripping up those who were trying to flee. She did not take pleasure in others suffering the way that Prometheus did. She just knew that they had a mission to complete. A mission to remove the one who could bring all their plans to a screeching halt.

"Ah ha! I knew it was you two!"

"Hm?" Both Pandora and Prometheus looked down. On the street below, a familiar red reploid stood, his expression a mixture of anger and rage.

Prometheus's eyes lit up in surprise, "You're the one the Guardians sent!?" He asked in disbelief.

"I thought that we…had taken care of you…" said Pandora, a hint of surprise and amusement in her voice.

Giro stood very firmly, "Well I'm back! And I don't intend to let you two alter this time so you may be successful in the future!"

"Those two are the Mavericks from your time!?" Axl had just run up from behind to join Giro, along with X and Zero.

Prometheus chuckled a bit, "A Maverick in this time is one who's infected with some kind of 'virus' right? So by this times standards, we technically aren't Mavericks."

"Anyone who attacks innocent people like this is a Maverick to me!" said a very angry X fiercely, pointing his buster at the pair. He was both angry at himself for refusing to believe Giro that Mavericks still existed in his time and angry that someone who was clearly Maverick would deny being one.

"Heh, and what are you going to do about it? Fight me? Because very frankly, it seems you guys do a lot of fighting as it is."

"If you wish to avoid conflict…" Pandora began quietly, "Then you will stay out of our way…"

Zero stepped forward and drew his saber, "Not a chance. I'm not backing down from a fight!"

"Heh heh, is that a challenge?" Prometheus asked in an amused tone.

"What do you think?"

"Well, if you insist!" Prometheus drew forth his scythe and jumped down from the building, sliding down the wall a bit, and then jumping off and onto the ground.

"Prometheus…!" Pandora called out to him in a cautioning tone. Prometheus looked over up over his shoulder at Pandora, who was still on the roof,

"Don't worry! This shouldn't take very long, and if it does, it's been a while since I've had a true challenge!" He then turned to face his opponent.

Zero took a fighting stance, his lips curving into a smile,

"Bring it on."

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I love P&P! No seriously, they're among my favorite characters in the Megaman games! I think I managed to get their characters right. A sadistic Prometheus and a soft-spoken Pandora. Most of you reviewers saw them coming but I'm not complaining! BTW I've heard that Prometheus and Pandora are actually siblings. I would like confirmation of this because I've yet to play Advent and I think it would be an interesting fact to incorporate into this fic.

I was contemplating whether to include the battle scene in this chapter or not, but in the end, I decided against it. Since I've never written a true battle scene before (the only other battle scene I've written was in my "Darkness Rising" fic and you can hardly call that a battle scene), I thought it would be better to just leave that for the next chapter and just get this chapter out early.

Oh yeah, that reploid observing Giro when he was in the base we'll be seeing more of as the story goes on.

So what do you think? R&R! And next chapter, we have Zero vs. Prometheus! Wish me luck writing the battle scene!


	4. Chapter 4

Well everyone, here's the fourth chapter of "Twist in Time." I'm really glad that this story has been doing well so far. I have some great plans for this story so I hope you all stick around to read it! Now for the reviewers:

???: I'm glad you like this story! Thanks for the review!

Capt. Cheese: Thanks for the confirmation! I needed it!

Not-Going-To-Tell: Crud, your review makes me want to play Advent more than ever! That's a compliment by the way. I'm hoping to be able to play it before it reaches a point where I'll need the info, because all of that sounds extremely interesting and I don't particularly want to have the story spoiled for me!

I'm getting some great ideas from my reviewers! I have a general idea of where the story is going to go but I'm completely open to ideas!

Anyhow, here's the fourth chapter! In this chapter, we have Zero vs. Prometheus. And a secret is hinted…but what?

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Zero made the first move. He dashed forward towards Prometheus with such speed, that the other had only enough time to block the attack with his scythe. Prometheus then somehow managed to push Zero back, leaving him enough time to gain his composure as Zero charged him again.

"Zero…!" X called out desperately, as he attempted to make towards his friend. Axl held him back by grabbing his shoulder.

"Whoa there X! Look at Zero! He's got that look in his eye. You know as well as I do that he won't be giving up anytime soon when he's like that!"

X looked over his shoulder at Axl. He knew that Zero was being reckless, charging in to fight an opponent they knew nothing about, and an enemy from another time at that! But he also knew that Axl was right. There was no stopping Zero once he had put his mind to a fight.

X wasn't the only uneasy one. Giro had nearly rushed forward to attempt to stop the fight before it began. He had no idea how powerful Zero was in comparison to Prometheus. But then again, he WAS a hero of legend in his time so perhaps he stood a chance. Either way, it was only the death glare that he had seen in Zero's eyes right before he had charged Prometheus that stopped him from halting the fight.

Zero charged Prometheus again and again, each time he just simply parried his attack. Zero's original strategy was to just attack and see how his opponent fought, but he could now see that it wasn't going to work. When he was pushed back once again, he paused for a moment to think things through.

That was a mistake.

The real reason that Prometheus hadn't attacked yet was because blocking was all he had time for while he formed a strategy. But as Zero paused, he saw his chance. Leaping up, he sent a fire attack straight in Zero's direction. Zero, surprised, leapt out of the way quickly and had only enough time to block Prometheus's scythe as it came down on him.

They stood there for a moment, in a temporary stalemate; sparks flew off from their clashed weapons, knowing if either gave way in the slightest, it would cost them the battle.

Finally, they leapt apart, and barely a moment had passed when they went at each other again. Again and again their weapons clashed, neither of them willing to give it up. Every time Prometheus attempted to try to get at Zero with his scythe, Zero expertly blocked it with his saber. A similar thing was occurring with Zero.

At long last, Prometheus realized that this was getting nowhere. When he and Zero broke apart once again, he took to the air. Zero could only watch as Prometheus become cloaked in an eerie aura and summoned numerous fire spirits, all of which came straight for Zero.

It didn't take Zero very long to realize that this attack had a major weakness. The fire was troublesome to be sure but Prometheus was a sitting duck while the attack was occurring. Dodging the fire best he could, he went straight for Prometheus.

A disturbing silence fell as Zero at long last managed to strike Prometheus with his saber. Prometheus fell to the ground, half angry, half excited.

"Why you-!"

"Prometheus…!"

"Huh?" Prometheus was just about to charge again when he heard Pandora call to him. He looked over his shoulder at her.

"That is enough…we should retreat…for now…"

"Humph." Prometheus turned back to face Zero. "We'll finish this next time we meet." He warped up to building right next to Pandora.

"Wait!" X called, "Who are you two anyway?"

Pandora looked at X, "That is something…you should ask…the Guardian…"

"Unless he hasn't even told you who he truly is!" sneered Prometheus.

Giro ran up to the building the pair where on, "What are you two doing in this time anyway!? You know that by being here, you risk your very existence!"

"We have already…ensured…that we will not vanish… from this world…" spoke Pandora.

"No matter how much we may screw up this time!" Prometheus added.

"What? How is that possible!? Wait!" Too late. Pandora and Prometheus had already both teleported away.

"What did they mean by "the Guardian?" Axl asked, looking around at the group.

"That would be me, actually,"

"What!?" Everyone turned to face Giro.

"The Guardians are the name of my group that hunts Mavericks." Giro turned to face the now puzzled hunters, "I was ordered here by the commander after those two who just left escaped to this time. It certainly wasn't easy getting here but I somehow managed to pull it off."

"Who were those two anyway?" Zero asked.

"They were Pandora and Prometheus. Not much is known about them except that they are two of the worst Mavericks the Guardians have seen in years. I don't know what they plan to do in this time, but I know that it's nothing good."

"So, now what?" Zero asked.

Giro sighed. Truth was, he wasn't too sure. What did Pandora and Prometheus mean that they had ensured they would not vanish? Did that mean they could do whatever they wanted in this time? Giro shivered. The thought was terrifying in itself. The question was just how they could do it. For now…

_For now we should rest, we can think things over later._ Zero blinked. Had that voice actually answered his question? Or was it just a coincidence? Either way, the first thing he would do was tell X when he got back to the base.

And start preparing for the next time that he would face the Mavericks.

"The battle was unnecessary Prometheus…"

"So what? As soon as we gather up all the time crystals, we won't have to worry about it!"

"We haven't found all the crystals however...We must exercise more caution untill we do..."

"Jeez, would you stop worrying? The next time I meet that red hunter, he's going down!"

The other person said nothing.

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What do you think? Not to shabby for a battle scene but what do I know? R&R!

In the next chapter, a certain reploid from the third chapter challenges Giro to a duel. But what secrets is this reploid hiding?


	5. Chapter 5

I am SO SORRY for not updating! I've been EXTREMELY busy and I also finally got a copy of Advent, which I've been playing nearly non-stop. As a result of playing it, my original story plans have changed. I also decided to push the duel chapter I had planned back and post it up later, with some editing of course.

Meanwhile, I decided that since it had been a while since I updated, that I might as well go ahead and make it extra long and more worth the wait! I'm sure that you'll all find this chapter satisfying as the plot thickens and characters whom ZX players should instantly recognize appear.

Disclaimer: I don't own the X series or the ZX series.

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It had been a month since Giro had arrived and since the last time the Mavericks from his time had appeared. They hadn't shown up since, a fact to which Giro expressed disturbed him. Nevertheless, Giro had taken to doing normal hunter duties, in order to prevent further alienation from the rest of the hunters. He was doing quite well and he had gone on a few missions with Zero, X and Axl.

After the battle a month ago, Zero had talked to X about the strange voice he had been hearing. As Zero had expected, X had dragged him to see Lifesaver. Surprisingly, nothing wrong was found with him. But the voice continued to haunt him. In the end, X, Axl, who had also inadvertently found out, and Zero decided to just keep it to themselves and Zero just got used to the voice.

As for Giro, people just got used to him, as what always happens. There had been skeptics before but there were only a few now. And even they were just plain stubborn.

The only real thing that puzzled people about Giro was what he did whenever he was in his room. As he was the only one with his own private room, people, especially the rookie hunters, liked to try to guess just why he wanted the room in the first place. Some claimed that they could smell coffee from there in the morning, which was strange considering how reploids didn't need to drink and that caffeine had no effect on them. Others said that he was hiding something in there. One time, as a joke, a few rookies had snuck in while he was in there. The next thing that happened was that all of them found themselves face to face with the sharp edge of Giro's saber. Giro hadn't been angry though, he was just trying to make the point that his room was strictly off limits. Still, it had been enough to stop future attempts to try to see what he did while he was in there. The hunters could only guess.

All in all, things were going quite well, Mavericks aside. Giro had even admitted that he was starting to grow attached to the time he was in. He certainly couldn't go home until he was sure that Pandora and Prometheus were back in their proper time, and they hadn't showed up for a while. The only thing that bothered him was what they had meant by they had found a way to assure that they wouldn't vanish no matter what they did in this time. It bothered him greatly, but at the time, there wasn't much he could do about it.

This temporary lull, however, ended with a visitor to Signas's office.

"A pair of humans that can transform into reploids?" Signas asked, not quite believing it. The human in the office, a middle aged man, nodded,

"Yes, and we have even already seen them in battle. They are quite capable. My superiors firmly believe that they would make a fine addition to the ranks of the Maverick Hunters. Which is the reason I'm here. To inform you of your new arrivals."

"I'll make sure that they get settled in." Signas replied. The man nodded them exited the room.

Signas sighed. Two humans that could transform into reploids? The possibility itself was beyond belief. But the real thing that bothered Signas was that by admitting them into the Hunters, the government had effectively found a way to keep an eye on the hunters. It was extremely likely they were going to be used as an inside source. But there was nothing that Signas could do about it. Only let the pair into the hunters and hope for the best.

"Humans who can turn into reploids?" Zero didn't quite believe it.

"Yeah, and Signas wants me to accept them into my unit." X had just got back from Signas's office. He too had been in a state of disbelief when Signas had told him the news. He and Zero were in the hunter's lounge, along with Axl and Giro sitting on a couch across from him and Zero.

"Sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi movie to me," said Axl, looking skeptical, "What do you think Giro?"

Giro remained silent.

"Giro?"

"What do they look like?" Giro finally asked.

"Hm? Oh, apparently one's a boy and the other's a girl. Signas gave me a picture of them. Here," X took out a pair of photographs as everyone else leaned in closer. One photo showed a boy with long brown hair that reminded them of Giro's or Zero's. He wore a blue outfit and had green eyes. The other photo showed a girl who also had brown hair, green eyes and a blue outfit. She wore her hair in a long ponytail.

"Huh, they look almost like twins," Axl observed.

Giro stood up, "Come with me, I want to show you three something."

The S-class hunters looked at each other and blinked. They soon stood up and followed Giro out of the lounge. They were surprised when Giro led them straight into his quarters. They all looked around, curious. Giro had clearly done some work in the room, as it now had a bed, instead of the usual maintenance pod, and, strangely enough, a stove.

"Why would you need this stuff? We reploids don't have very much use for these y'know." Said Zero.

"Let me just show you instead of telling you." Giro replied, with his back turned. A flash of light and then…

Axl nearly fell over in shock, "You're human!"

"Ha Ha! Close but not quite." Giro was now unarmored, instead, he was now wearing a red shirt with tan pants. His visor had been replaced by a pair of glasses. "Allow me to explain. This is what I really look like. I was simply Megamerged before."

"Megamerged?" X asked.

A red object floated, seemingly out of nowhere, and hovered in front of the hunters.

"This is the Model Z, it's what allows me to Megamerge,"

_So you finally decided to reveal the truth to the hunters._ A sudden thought occurred to Zero.

"Did you hear that?" he asked Giro.

Giro looked confused, "Hear what?"

"That voice, it said 'So you finally decided to reveal the truth to the hunters.'"

Giro blinked, and then realization came to his face, "Well that confirms one of my theories."

"Theories?" X asked.

"What the hell is going on here, Giro? And just who are you?" Axl demanded, shaken by what had just occurred.

"Allow me to explain, would you all mind taking a seat? This might take a while." Giro gestured to the chairs in the room. As soon as everyone was seated, Giro began to talk,

"First of all, I want to sincerely apologize for keeping all this a secret. I had to in order to reduce the risk of severely altering this time. But I can see that's no longer an option. Those two you showed me are not from your time. They're from my time."

"WHAT!?" The trio looked shocked.

"I recognized them as soon as I saw the photos. They happen to be a pair of very good friends of mine." Giro explained to the shocked hunters.

"Hold it! Even if you look human you're still a reploid, right?" Giro nodded at Zero's comment. "So then how the hell can you be such good friends with them if they're human? From what I know, humans aren't fond of interacting with us reploids."

Giro chuckled, "Humans and reploids have MUCH better relations in my time then in this time. Let me begin. In my time, humans and reploids are at peace, "race" is never an issue, it never really matters."

"Sounds like one of X's fantasies," Zero remarked.

"I assure you its quite real. Those two who are coming are very precious to me you see, and the fact that they are human doesn't matter. What caught me off guard is the fact that they came here at all." Giro then took a deep breath,

"In my time, those who can Megamerge are those chosen by the Biometals like the Model Z," Giro gestured to the floating object.

"Biometals?" Axl asked.

"Metal with its own conciseness. Most of them were based on heroes of legend."

A sudden thought occurred to the hunters. They remembered how Giro had mentioned that X and Zero had resembled heroes of legend from Giro's time. And the Z in the Model Z just might possibly stand for…

"Are you saying that the Model Z was based on me!?" Zero asked, thoroughly shocked. A nod from Giro confirmed it. So the fact that Giro looked so much like him when transformed wasn't a coincidence…

"My theory was that since the Model Z WAS based on you, that you might be able to hear it. Turns out I was right. There are at least five other Biometals in my knowledge. It used to be six others but one was supposedly destroyed…" Giro trailed off a bit.

"Why was one of them destroyed?" X asked.

"Because its only purpose was destruction. It was too dangerous. But that's another story."

"So what's the reason you're in this time?" Axl asked.

"I already told you. I'm here to fight Pandora and Prometheus. Here's how it goes," he paused for a moment before continuing, "I was supposedly killed in a battle against the evil Biometal. I thought that I had died for sure after…something else happened. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the Guardian Base."

"So you weren't lying about the Guardians?" Zero asked.

Giro shook his head, "No, that was one thing I WASN"T lying about. The Guardians are a group of volunteers organized into a militia that fights Mavericks and help protect innocent people. And I am also a member of their group. After I woke up, I met with Prairie, she's the Commander by the way, who might I add was exceptional relieved to see me alive. Neither of us know who exactly resurrected me however." He paused again, "Long story short, we found Prometheus and Pandora just as they came to this time and Prairie ordered me to go after them."

"But how exactly did you and those Mavericks reach this time?" came X's question.

"That is not something that you need to know at the moment." The way he said it told the hunters not to pursue the subject any further. Giro looked like he was about to say something else when a voice came over the intercom. They could barely hear it for some reason, but they could tell that it was summoning them to the command room.

Giro sighed, "We'll have to save the rest for later." The Model Z floated near him. Giro grabbed it and let out a yell of "Megamerge!" A flash of light and he was in the form that the hunters were more familiar with, effectively destroying any doubt they might have possessed.

_Well that certainly explains a lot, _Zero thought to himself.

The mission given to them had been an urgent one. A fairly large outbreak of Mavericks had occurred in an area of the city. And apparently the pair of humans that were to be admitted into the Hunters had been seen in that very section of the city. And speaking of them…

A young man who looked to be about nineteen was running through the city. Fire had broken out everywhere and as a result, it was both hot and smoky. He would have just escaped from there, but there was someone he needed to find first. A shot from a Mechaniloid barely missed him, and then he stopped short. A variety of small Mechaniloids were blocking his path. Turning around, his heart sank. A gigantic crab-like Mechaniloid was there behind him. It was charging up a shot. He threw his arms up in front of him and braced himself for the hit.

It never came. There was a large explosion. He lowered his arms down low enough to see what had happened. And what he saw shocked it to his very core.

The Mechaniloid had been destroyed, but it was WHO had destroyed it that caught him off guard.

"Sempai!?" Giro turned around to regard him.

"Vent! Are you alright?" Vent nodded, trying his best to remain calm. But it's not easy to stay calm when the person who practically raised you has seemingly come back from the dead. "I take it from the way you're looking at me right now that Prairie didn't tell you."

"N-no, she didn't-but how-?" Vent was in a state of total disbelief, even though he didn't show it. Giro was dead…he and Aile had saw him die and yet…and yet here he was, right in front of him

"It's a long story. Why aren't you Megamerged? And where's Aile?" Giro's expression told Vent that this was a serious situation.

"The Model X is with Aile, and I lost her a few minutes after the attack started. I have no idea where she is."

Giro sighed, "All right, I'll have to track her down. Some friends of mine will help you get out of here while I try to find her."

"What friends?"

"Look behind you."

Vent turned and received yet another shock. Two of the reploids now standing there where the Mechaniloids had been looked eerily familiar. The third one he didn't recognize at all.

"Who…are you guys?" Vent asked slowly.

"They're friends of mine. Don't worry you can trust them." Giro regarded the hunters, "I need one of you to come with me and help me find Aile. The other two need to help Vent get out of here."

"I'll go," Zero promptly said.

"Good, then me and Axl will help him here," X gestured toward Vent.

Giro nodded, "Right, let's go!" Zero ran past Vent to join Giro as he began to leave.

"Sempai! Wait!" Vent felt like he was in dream…the kind that if you let someone leave, you lose them for good…

Giro turned around and gave Vent a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. We'll save the reunion for later, alright? Just make sure YOU make it out of here." With that he and Zero left and disappeared behind a curtain of smoke.

"So, your name's Vent, huh? Mine's Axl! Nice to meet ya!" Vent turned to regard the two reploids.

"And mine name is X, it is very nice to meet you Vent."

Vent mentally flinched in surprise when X told him his name, but made no comment and nodded respectfully, "It's nice to meet you both."

"Why'd you call Giro 'Sempai'?" Axl asked curiously.

"Because he is. Why?"

Axl shrugged, while X said, "I think Axl is trying to say that we wouldn't expect you, a human, to treat a reploid with that much respect."

Now Vent was genuinely confused. What kind of time had he and Aile landed in? "What does Giro being a reploid and me being human have to do with anything?"

Vent had no idea what impact his words had on the two hunters. Both of them had been a bit skeptical with Giro's description of his time. After all, a place where humans and reploids could live peacefully seemed like such a distant dream to them. But when Vent had clearly implied that Giro being a reploid didn't matter to him, any doubts they had evaporated. For X, it meant that someday, his long held dream of humans and reploids coexisting peacefully would come true.

Vent, meanwhile, was struggling with some disturbing thoughts. The way that X had said that they did expect a human to treat a reploid with respect said leagues about the time they were in. He and Aile HAD been warned that they might wind up in the middle of the war between humans and reploids that had occurred so long ago, but he didn't see any fighting between humans and reploids here. He saw plenty of fighting between reploids, but there wasn't much human participation from what he saw so far. But what X had said…did that mean that reploids were perhaps, discriminated in this time? But why? _Perhaps it has something to do with the Mavericks in this time. I wonder…is it because of the reploids being treated unfairly that triggered the war?_

Meanwhile, in another part of the city….

"Darn it! How many of these things ARE there!?" Aile was currently Megamerged with the Model X and firing at the attacking Mechaniloids best she could. The area she was in was charred black from the fire that had come through a few minutes before. Aile wasn't in the for every one she destroyed, it was like another two took its place. And Aile was not happy about it.

A shot barely missed her as she swore, "This is unbelievable! They just keep coming! I can't keep this up for much longer…!" Just as she said it, a shot hit her point blank, causing her to fall over backward on her rear end.

_Aile! Are you alright?_ Came the Model X's worried tone.

"I'm fine. But I think I'm in trouble…" She looked up and the horde of Mechaniloids that were moving toward her, many of which were preparing to fire. She tried to fire off a few more shots, but to little avail, as more filled in for the fallen. Aile cursed under her breath, as the Mavericks quickly surrounded her, cutting off any escape.

_Aile! _

"PLEASE tell me that you have an idea!" Aile said to the Biometal, her voice with a desperate edge to it.

_I do! Listen carefully…_The Mechaniloids continued to gather around, clearly ready to attack, until…

The gigantic blast set off from the charge shot was huge. It effectively eliminated every Maverick in the immediate area. Aile however, was left breathless from it.

"Y'know, after all these years, you could have TOLD us that there was a fourth charge level!" She said slowly, standing and panting a bit.

_I was afraid that it would take too great of a toll on your energy. And besides, you both were using both me and the Model Z together, so the buster didn't have the same capabilities._

"Oh, right. Sorry. DAMMIT! JUST HOW MANY _ARE _THERE!?" Aile's sudden outburst was a result of even more Mechaniloids then before beginning to crowd around her. Suddenly, two familiar figures jumped down from a high up spot, one landing in front of her, the other landing behind her. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw who was in front of her.

"G-Giro!?" No way…It was impossible…and yet…

Giro just simply looked back at her and gave her a reassuring smile. In the next few minutes, the Mechaniloid horde was all but decimated. And Aile was left speechless and in complete disbelief as Giro finally turned to talk to her.

"Huh, I've had tougher fights..." came Zero's comment, who was only a few feet away.

"Aile, are you okay?" Giro asked, his concern evident in his voice.

"Y-yeah…I'm fine…but how…? We saw…you die…I mean…" Aile couldn't believe what she was seeing as she returned to her normal form. Giro just simply smiled,

"Vent reacted in a similar manner. Huh, now I wonder why Prairie didn't tell you."

Aile felt tears come to her eyes, "It's really you!" She ran over and hugged Giro tightly.

Zero looked on in surprised as Giro tried to get Aile to calm down. Why would a human care about a reploid so much?

"Well, well, what do we have here? It appears that a bug has come to this time." All three of them turned around and flinched. Standing on a heap of burned rubble, was Prometheus.

"You!" Zero growled, stepping forward with an angry look, "We have some unfinished business!"

Prometheus laughed, "Oh, it's you again! Sorry, but I can't fight right now! I just have to stall until Pandora finishes with your friends!"

Aile looked confused for a moment, "Friends…? He doesn't mean…Oh no! Vent!"

"Darn it!" Axl was getting more and more frustrated as he dodged yet another bolt of lightning. This Pandora character was stronger then she looked. Normally when Axl faced an enemy that had an element, he usually liked to transform into a reploid who was strong against that element. Unfortunately, both he and X quickly learned that Pandora could control TWO elements, lightning and ice. Needless to say, it certainly made the battle that much more difficult.

X wasn't having the best time either. Every time he thought he had Pandora figured out, she seemed to simply come up with something else

Vent, meanwhile, was hiding out nearby, as much as he hated it. But without the Biometal, he couldn't Megamerge. The fire that had raged earlier was gone now, leaving huge piles of charred rubble.

A huge plasma blast suddenly came out of nowhere, aimed straight at Pandora. Pandora cried out in surprise from the blast as Prometheus appeared near her.

"I thought…you were going to stall them…!" Pandora hissed at Prometheus. He shrugged,

"It doesn't matter now. The chosen ones have only the Model X anyway. It's not like they'll be nearly as powerful as before."

Pandora shook her head as Aile, Megamerged of course, Zero and Giro all ran into the area.

"You have grown careless Prometheus…" 

"What makes you say that?"

"Have you forgotten…that one of the chosen ones…have the Model Z…?"

The first thing Aile did was unmerge and run over to Vent. "Aile! You're alright!" Vent exclaimed in relief.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting!" Zero said as he ran over to X and Axl.

_It's good to see that you're alright Vent._ X blinked as Giro walked up.

"You hear it don't you?" Giro asked. X nodded,

"Yeah…what is it?" Giro just simply chuckled as he unmerged.

"What are you doing?" Axl asked, wondering what possible reason Giro would have for changing back.

"You'll see it a few moments."

Prometheus, however, was furious with himself. How could he have been so nearsighted? Had he been too overconfident? "I'll just have to kill you both!" He yelled as he lunged forward at Vent and Aile. His scythe promptly met with Zero's saber. Zero's lips curved into a smile, "As I said before, you and me have some unfinished business!" he said as he shoved Prometheus backward.

X and Axl meanwhile, stood before Pandora, as she looked on at the two. "This is not necessary…" She remarked.

"So what? We still have a fight to finish!" Axl shot back.X meanwhile, had half a mind to just stay out of this altogether. What had she meant that fighting wasn't necessary? Was it necessary? A memory from a month ago surfaced, memories of fire and of innocents fleeing…X shook his head of the thought as Pandora unleashed a barrage of icicles.

"Sempai!" Vent felt relieved when his old mentor ran over.

"Here, no time to explain," Giro added as he handed Vent the Model Z.

"The Model Z…" Aile whispered. How had it wound with Giro? Both she and Vent supposed it didn't matter at the moment.

Prometheus cursed as he watched what happened next. He would just go over there and kill them but Zero blocked his way every time he tried to move in their direction.

"DOUBLE MEGAMERGE!" The pair's cry was followed up by them being enveloped in a huge surge of energy and light as the ultimate Mega Man once again took form.

"_X! I'm detecting a huge energy signal! What's going on over there!?" _came Alia's voice over the radio.

"Don't worry about it Alia. It's nothing dangerous. On the contrary actually," said Giro, smiling as he watched what was occurring.

When the light finally faded, the hunters got yet another shock.

"Wow! They look even more like you then Giro did Zero!" Axl commented.

"So the Model ZX finally reenters the playing field!" Prometheus said in voice that was somewhere between a taunt and a snarl.

Vent, now in Model ZX form along with Aile, stepped forward with his ZX saber, "Listen," he said, addressing Zero was looking on in awe, "You and the other two would be doing us a huge favor if you get Sempai out of here."

"Are you sure you two can handle it?" X asked thoroughly shaken. Just who were these two? Giro said they were from his time but…What had happened in the past few hours had thrown everything they thought they knew into doubt.

"Of course!" Aile said, stepping in Pandora's direction, "It's not like we haven't done this before!"

A frustrated Prometheus finally lost it. "BURRRNNN!" He yelled out as he leapt in the air and two large pillars of fire appeared. Vent quickly got out of the way and shortly afterward there was an audible sound as Vent's ZX saber met with Prometheus's scythe.

Pandora was sorely tempted as Aile stood before her, waiting for her first move. If she and Prometheus could eliminate the Model ZX here and now, it would take care of several problems. However, they had to remain focused on their task. And besides they hadn't managed to destroy the Model ZX before. Although they had gotten stronger, so had the Chosen Ones. There was absolutely no guarantee that they would win this battle. And that was not a risk they could take right now.

"We shall battle another time…" said Pandora in her usual tone to Aile. She looked at Prometheus who was just preparing to charge at Vent. Prometheus noticed and growled. He would have to wait for another time to battle.

"We'll finish our business later," he said venomously to Vent before teleporting out along with Pandora.

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Passes out This is the LONGEST fanfic chapter I have written yet! And it's probably not going to be the last long chapter I write either. But I hope this chapter is worth the long wait! I was actually considering making it longer with a battle scene but I decided that my readers had waited long enough along with some other reasons.

I got to the part where Vent and Aile enter faster than I thought. Ah, well. The story should get a LOT more interesting from here on out. Once again, my story plans have changed but the story is going to be more exciting (not to mention a lot longer) and more epic then I had originally planned. Giro doesn't know about the existence of the Model A or the multiple Model Ws for those who've played Advent. Vent and Aile are the ones from Advent. Oh yeah, and Giro traveled back in time AFTER the events in ZX Advent.

If you prefer that I use Japanese terms (Rock on instead of Megamerge for example) just tell me! I know that there are some out there who prefer the Japanese terms over the English translations so don't be afraid to speak up! The only reason I used the English terms is because I've been playing the English Advent just a bit too much.

In the next chapter, just why are Vent and Aile in 21XX? Are they also in pursuit of Pandora and Prometheus? Or is there another reason?

R&R!


	6. Chapter 6

WOW! I'm so glad that people are enjoying my story! The next few chapters are going to include a sub-plot that I had in mind for this story as well as some answers to some questions. But those answers may simply lead to more questions.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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"Wow! So this is the Maverick Hunter HQ!" Aile was impressed. There was plenty of activity, a fact that vaguely reminded her of the Guardian Base back home. She could tell just from looking at Vent that he was thinking the same thing.

"I'm glad you like it. This is where you'll both be staying," said X. He and Giro were showing Vent and Aile around the HQ. X was relieved that the pair found the place satisfactory. For more reasons than one…

Vent looked at Giro, who gave him a knowing smile, "HQ is a lot like back at the Guardian Base. I'm sure you'll both be fine.

Vent returned the smile. Giro was the last person he and Aile had expected to see here. In fact, he was the last person they expected to see _anywhere_. They had for so long believed that he was dead…

After the encounter with Pandora and Prometheus, one of the first things that Vent and Aile had asked Giro was how he managed to survive after they had watched him perish before their very eyes. He had admitted that he himself didn't know; only that he remembered waking up in the Guardian Base after what had happened. The next question they had pondered was why Prairie didn't tell them that Giro was alive. They soon just assumed that she had her reasons.

When Vent and Aile had first landed in this time, they had found themselves right smack in the middle of a Maverick raid. They had quickly Megamerged and defeated the Mavericks. What had happened next was a bit of a blur but apparently the government had found out about them and had suggested that they sign on with the Maverick Hunters. How they had managed to explain how they could transform without revealing the fact that they were from the future was beyond them. After some consideration, they had decided that it would be a good idea for them to accept the offer to join the Hunters. It would serve as an excellent cover for them.

But of course, they hadn't expected Giro, who had explained to them that he had already told the three hunters, X, Zero and Axl, that they were from a different time.

"Ahem, excuse me." A voice from behind broke Vent's train of thought and the quartet turned around to find a middle aged man with raven colored hair behind them. He had icy blue eyes that seemed to freeze whatever they looked at.

"I apologize for not arriving earlier. I was held up by some complications." The man spoke in a smooth, polite voice.

"Um, who are you?" Aile asked, a tad bit confused.

"He's here to check up on the Hunter's newest recruits. Which would be you two of course." X spoke in a clam tone but Vent had enough experience to detect the undercurrent of resentment.

"Yes. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Draynor Cornelius. I trust that you were informed that you are going to be in the 17th Unit?"

"We were," said Vent.

"Good." Draynor turned to X, "I expect you to look after these two. Signas should have informed you of the recent…issues that have occurred." X nodded his affirmation that he did. Draynor nodded in approval, "Very well." He then turned to Vent and Aile, "May I have you two alone for a moment?" X took then hint and tugged on Giro a bit to indicate that they should leave.

After they had departed, Vent was the first to ask, "What's so important that you needed us alone?"

Draynor spoke in his usual polite tone, "Just to inform you two that I shall be checking in every so often. Make sure to tell me if anything…unusual occurs here. I shall be expecting a full report."

"Hold it!" The three turned to see Giro nearby.

Draynor raised an eyebrow, "You were listening?"

"Yes. I know what you're doing and I'm not going to allow you!" Giro was clearly unhappy. He had suspected that there was more to Draynor then met the eye and had lingered nearby to make sure he wasn't planning anything.

Draynor turned his back as he prepared to leave, "And what brought you into a position of power to stop me even if I am up to something, which I am not? You would do well to remember your place."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Aile snapped. How could he talk to someone like that?

Draynor looked over his shoulder at her and Vent, "Simple. It means that he is no more than a lowly reploid. He is no position to order me or any other human. He is not even your superior with the Hunters. He is nothing to either of you or to me." With that, he turned and left.

Giro sighed as Vent and Aile looked in the direction that Draynor had left in disbelief.

"I tried to warn you y'know." X came from down the hallway. He could tell just by looking at the trio's expressions what had happened. He had tried to tell Giro that it probably wasn't a good idea to listen in.

"How could he say all that with a straight face!? That's…" Vent's voice trailed off and he shook his head, trying to get a grip on what just happened. He turned to Giro, "I can't believe you just stood there and took that Sempai!"

"I'm afraid that's how reploids are treated in this time. I'm just starting to get used to it myself." Giro shifted a bit and looked down, "It certainly puts new light on things I took for granted back home."

Aile turned around to face Giro and X, "But that's unbelievable! I mean…"

X just shook his head sadly, "It's just the way things are here. There's nothing we can do about it."

_The next day…_

Aile entered the R&D lab and one of the first things she did was look around curiously. Most of the stuff in here was either ancient by her time's standards or the kind of stuff that the Hunters of her time, who scoured ruins for "booty" as they liked to call it, would love to get their hands on. It was mostly the latter.

"What are you here for?" One of the researchers in the lab had noticed her. Aile snapped to attention,

"Oh sorry! Pallette sent me here to ask you if you have the results yet," she shrugged, "She'd said that you would understand." It was her and Vent's first day on the job and since their weren't any missions that day, they had been given some errand duties instead. At least it was better, not to mention less boring, then what some of the other hunters had to do. Aile smiled a little as she recalled the image earlier of X practically dragging Zero in one direction so they could handle some of the paperwork that had piled up.

"Alright, just a moment," The researcher turned around and began to shuffle around some things. Aile noticed that some of the researchers were looking at her in a not-so-friendly way only to see them look away again to their work.

"Here's the results Pallette wants." The researcher practically shoved the papers into her, "Now leave." The tone was far from friendly.

"Jeez what's your problem?" Aile muttered as she left the lab with the papers. Aile wasn't dense, far from it actually. She was very well aware of the way the other hunters regarded her. And it puzzled her. She was sure that Vent was probably having similar thoughts. Why would the hunters regard her with such a cold shoulder? She understood that newcomers could have it rough. She had seen it many times with the Gaurdians. But as far as she had seen none of the rookies were being treated like she and Vent were. Her mind wandered to how that man yesterday, Draynor, had treated Giro. It had made her furious, but both Giro and X had said it was just the way reploids were treated in this time.

Something in her mind suddenly clicked, _Wait a minute, if the way Draynor acted towards Giro is commonplace when it come to humans and reploids in this time, do the hunter here maybe expect me and Vent to treat them like that? It would make sense that that kind of continous treatment would make someone bitter. _Her thoughts then took on a bitter tone, _So that's the reason their treating me like this, simply because I'm human. It just doesn't seem fair._

"Most of the hunters felt it was a deep blow to their pride when Signas agreed to accept you two," Axl shrugged, "It's a personal problem for the most part." Axl was in the hunter's lounge with Vent and Aile.The pair had just finished up the last of their jobs and Axl had just finished with his paperwork. X and Zero weren't done yet though.

"You said most, when nearly everyone has been treating us like this. What's the other reason?" Vent asked.

"I never got X to completely explain it to me but some of the hunters are scared."

"Of what?" Aile asked

Axl shook his head, "There're afraid that if the humans find some way to fight the Mavericks themselves, they'll have no more use for us and then...dispose of us. I know better 'cause I know you two aren't from this time...but I guess some of the hunters view you two as a possible threat."

There was an uneasy silence.

"Hey! You two!" The silence was broken by a hunter who had just entered the lounge. Vent and Aile turned their heads to see who was talking as Axl groaned. The hunter in question was none other than Bomber Lizard, a crackshot B-class hunter who suffered from an attitude problem, at least in Axl's opinion. As the name implied, he was a lizard type reploid with red and black armor, and always carried an array of bombs around with him along his back and his front. These ranged from simple smoke bombs to ones that were...extremely destructive and usually only used as a desperate mesure.

"Excuse me?" Aile asked.

"Are you talking to us?" Vent asked as well.

"Of course I am!" Bomber Lizard growled. He then shook his head and growled, "What was Signas thinking? First he let's some reploid who could actually be Maverick for all we know and claims to be from another time join up. And now what do we get? A couple of humans!" The anger and hatred in his red eyes was very hard to miss.

"So, what do you want from us?" Aile asked, irritated.

"I want to see if you two are good enough for the hunters as Signas claims! I challenge one of you, I don't care which one, to a duel!"

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What do you think? Vent and Aile certainly got a cold slap in the face didn't they? We'll be seeing more of that Draynor character I can promise you that! Bomber Lizard is an OC of mine (He's the same character we saw in the shadows in the third chapter) so I own him (same goes for Draynor)!

In the next chapter, Bomber Lizard is hiding a secret. One that might hold the key to Pandora and Prometheus's plan. But what is that secret? And which one, Vent or Aile, is going to take up his challenge?

R&R


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry for going another long period without updating! I went through writer's block and it took me a while to finally overcome it. Not to mention that it's been getting harder and harder to find time to write for several reasons. But don't worry! Writing is my passion and this fanfic is almost always on my mind! Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this chapter of "Twist in Time!"

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs. Okay?

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"A duel?" Vent asked.

"A lot of the reploids here like to have friendly battles every once in a while. Helps keep their skills sharp. Though I don't know just how friendly it'll be if you fight this guy…"Axl eyed Bomber Lizard accusingly.

Bomber Lizard snorted, "I just want to see if these two humans are everything their cracked up to be! Which I doubt they are!"

"If you want to fight anyone, then fight me!" Everyone in the room turned in the direction of the voice. Bomber Lizard smiled evilly when he saw just who had said it.

Standing there was none other than Giro, who had apparently heard the whole exchange.

Bomber Lizard was exceptionally pleased with himself. Sure he wasn't going to fight the humans who had intruded on territory meant only for the hunters. But he WAS going to fight the one who, in his opinion, was the cause of the whole mess. Currently he was in the arena used for practice battles such as these, with that dratted "time traveler" reploid, Giro, standing at the other end.

While it certainly wasn't true that Giro was the reason Vent and Aile were with the hunters, pride, one of the most powerful of the seven deadly sins, had blinded Bomber Lizard. It was pride that had lead to the tragic downfall of the Repliforce during the fourth Maverick uprising and it would eventually, and inevitably, lead to Bomber's downfall as well.

"It's not too late to just quit now you know!" Bomber called out tauntingly.

Giro tightened his grip on his saber and forced himself to calm down. He knew that Bomber Lizard was among those who still didn't believe that Giro was actually from another time. If he won, Bomber would likely keep his mouth shut on the subject from then on in. If he lost…well one thing at a time.

"Let's just get this over with!" Giro called out to Bomber in response.

Bomber smiled and then…

He was right in front of him!

Startled, Giro barely had time to get out of the way as the lizard reploid swiped at him with one of his claws. Bomber turned and attempted to swipe at him at him again only to be met with the glowing end of Giro's saber. He yelped in a mix

Leaping back, it didn't take him very long to realize that Bomber was right in front of him again! _Holy crap! He's fast! _Bomber was suddenly gone again. Giro blinked. Why hadn't he attacked? _Wait a minute…_ Giro looked down just as the small bomb that was planted went off.

"This is crazy! Bomber's never this fast!" Axl was watching the battle along with Vent and Aile, in a raised area just off to the side of the arena.

_Vent, Aile, something is seriously wrong here._ The pair blinked, hearing the Biometal.

"What do you mean Model X?" Aile asked as Axl gave her an odd look. Vent and Aile didn't normally talk to the Biometal unless they were alone. After all, they were the only ones who could hear and it wouldn't look very good if it appeared as if they were talking to thin air or what seemed to be an inanimate object.

_Watch the lizard reploid closely..._ was all Model X said.

As they watched the smoke clear, Vent and Aile couldn't help but feel relived as Giro emerged from the blast, at the very least not as severely hurt as he had anticipated.

Bomber snarled again and before anyone could blink he had planted another bomb right next to Giro! In addition, Bomber had managed to return to his previous position. All in a matter of a second. Giro barely had time to move quickly enough to avoid most of the blast. His mind was trying to work out a way to defeat such a swift opponent. He made a quick survey of his surrondings.

Bomber Lizard, however, would not give him time to work out how to win. In just a few seconds, he had planted yet another bomb next to Giro. It was then that an idea popped into Giro's head.

When the smoke cleared, Giro was nowhere in sight. Aile let out a small gasp as Bomber allowed himself a triumphant smile. That hadn't taken nearly as long as he had thought it would. Nor had it been as hard. But just as he was about to turn to leave…

A pillar of light flared underneath him, followed by a sharp pain. The next thing he knew, he was against the far wall of the arena, completely and utterly defeated.

What had happened was this. Giro had managed to avoid the blast, while at the same time still being able to use the smoke for cover. He had then retreated to a more hidden part of the arena. When Bomber had turned, he had driven his saber into the ground, summoning the light pillar attack. After that, he had dashed forward and dealt the final blow with his saber.

Giro stood straight up and smiled. He had managed to win. He blinked when he saw two streaks of blue dash from the sidelines and right in front of Bomber Lizard.

"Alright, hand it over." Aile voice was dead serious. Both she and Vent were Megamerged with their busters aimed at the lizard reploid. Midway through the battle, they had realized something. And now there was a certain something that they had to retrieve from the lizard reploid. They were both standing before the lizard reploid.

"Hand what over?" Bomber snarled.

"You weren't just fast during that battle. You were actually _warping_ around the arena. And there's only one thing that would allow you to do that," said Vent, "We've already figured it out so just give us the crystal."

Bomber growled as soon as Vent mentioned a crystal. "What will you do if I don't give it up?"

Aile got a gleam in her eyes. One that Vent knew all too well. He took a few good steps backward as Giro came up behind him.

There was the sound of plasma shots and then...

Bomber gulped as the smoke cleared. There were scorch marks left by Aile's buster shots dangerously close to him. The location of the marks were a dead giveaway to just how accurate she could be.

"**Give it** **or else.**" Aile's voice seemed to turn to ice in the air, indicating her lack of patience for the lizard reploid.

"Aile's temper hasn't improved much over the few years I was gone has it?" Giro commented as he watched what was happening.

"Oh it's improved. She doesn't snap nearly as much as she used to. She's definently a lot calmer in comparison to five years ago. But still..." Vent looked at Aile and Bomber Lizard. Vent knew from experience that Aile was the last person you wanted to get angry. When they were younger, he had been at the recieving end of her fury more then a few times.

Bomber squeaked, "H-here!" Shaking, he took something from one of his many bomb-carrying pouches and tossed it on the floor where it rolled to Aile's feet. Aile bent over and picked it up. It was a perfect sphere that was see-through, colored a light pink. Darker pink energy glowed it it's very center. It was about the size of a tennis ball. When Aile looked up from this strange object, she noticed that Bomber was gone.

"Hey guys!" Axl ran up to the trio, "Bomber just went by me at about Mach 5. What happened?"

"Aile's temper got the better of her again," said Vent, sighing.

"What is it?" Axl looked curiously at the sphere on the table. He was in the hunter's lounge. Sitting next to him was X and Zero. Across from them sat Vent, Aile and Giro.

"Its a time crystal," said Vent simply.

Everyone except Aile gave him an odd look. "Time crystal? What the hell is that?" Zero asked.

"Its a special crystal that has that power over time." said Aile.

"Why would Bomber have it though?" X asked as Giro picked up the crystal to examine it.

"It's likely he was tempted by the power it gave him. That's the reason he seemed to be moving so fast. He was using the crystal to stop and slow time while he made his moves." said Vent

"The time crystals are extremely dangerous," Aile added, "They must never me allowed to fall into the wrong hands."

"Wait a minute! Are you saying that there's more than one of those things!?" Zero demanded.

"Unfourtunetly yes. And the more one has, the more power," said Vent grimly.

"Just how much power do the time crytals have over time, exactly?" Giro asked, finally speaking and still looking at the crystal.

"Well..." Aile trailed off, looking uncertain.

"We don't really know," Vent admitted, "We've only just recently discovered that they even existed."

"Could the time crystals, in theory, perserve one's existance even if they've erased themselves from the timestream?" Giro asked.

"Hell if we know! But I'd probably say yes. One crystal gives one the power to stop and slow time. If one collected enought crystals, then they probably could preserve their existance even if the past was altered so they otherwise wouldn't. Why do you ask?" Aile looked at Giro curiously.

Giro put the crystal back on the table, "I know what Pandora and Prometheus are after." He anounced, causing everyone to jump slightly.

"Woah, that was random!" Axl exclaimed.

"I'm serious. Do you three remember what they said they had found a way to ensure that they wouldn't vanish no matter what they did to this time?" He asked, looking at the hunters who nodded in understanding.

"Go on," said X.

"Well I think that the time crystals may be the way to ensure their existance that they've mentioned!"

"That's nothing more then a wild speculation!" Zero said.

_I actualy think that Giro may be right. The time crystals may be the only thing with the enough of the kind of power that Pandora and Prometheus need._ Zero blinked. Had the Model Z just directly addressed him?

_I don't know what happened the last time you faced Pandora and Prometheus, but if they really did say that they had found a way to continue to exist no matter how severly they alter this time, then the fact that they may have found some time crystals would actually be a logical assuption._ The Model X floated out and hovered in front of Vent and Aile.

X took on a confused look. "By any chance, did you just hear that?" Vent asked, noting X's expression.

"Yeah, I did..." said X, a bit unsteady. Giro chuckled,

"Just like the Model Z was based on Zero, the Model X was based on you. And given how my theory that the reploids would be able to hear the Biometals that that were based on them was proven correct, I pretty much assumed you would be able to hear the Model X."

"Giro, are you saying that Zero can hear the Model Z?" Aile asked curiously. Giro nodded to her in confirmation.

"Well its pretty much a given that the Model X was based on X. I mean, come on! Model X, X himself, you can't get much more obvious then that!" Axl exclaimed, "Hell, it even looks like X!"

Vent looked like he was about to say something when he noticed someone in the door of the lounge. He tapped Aile and gestured to the door. Aile nodded and then they both stood up, "Excuse us," she said. They walked over to the door, where the last person that they wanted to see.

"What do you want?" Vent asked the person standing there, his voice not the most polite of tones.

"Oh, X didn't bother to tell you that I would be checking in today? I want to know how the first day was for the Maverick Hunter's only two human recruits," said Draynor in his smooth, polite voice.

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Stupid writer's block….Anyways a sincere thanks to all my reviewers! Archaon, in the manual for both ZX and ZXA it clearly states that the humans in the ZX series are given cybernetic upgrades which probably explains why Ashe is able to pull off that stunt among other things. ???, at least you actually UNLOCKED hard mode! I can't even get past the sub-bosses for Chronoforce's level or Rosepark's level in Normal mode! TT Capt. Cheese, WHAT do you want me to have Aile do!? No offense, but it looks like you didn't complete your first sentence in the review.

In the next chapter, Axl and Vent, through a complicated series of events, wind up in some mysterious ruins and learn a valuable secret of the time crystals.

R&R!


	8. Chapter 8

I wanted to get this chapter written and up before the weekend was over so here it is! Thanks to all my lovely reviewers and I hope you all enjoy the eigth chapter of "Twist in Time!"

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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_"Sit down" said Draynor. Vent and Aile were in Draynor's office, only a mile away from MMHQ. It had dark green walls and very comfortable looking chairs. There were vairous pictures hanging on the walls, and there was an oaken desk. Draynor sat as his desk, while Vent and Aile sat across from him. "Now then," Draynor looked at the pair, "Tell me exactly what happened today."_

_"Why do you want to know?" Aile asked, making her suspiscion clear. Vent didn't entirely trust him either. Especially after what had happened the last time they had encountered Draynor._

_"I just simply need to know. That is all. It won't affect anything. After all, it can't be easy being the only two human Maverick Hunters," said Darynor smoothly._

_"Well..." Vent hesitated._

_"Many of the Hunters gave us the cold shoulder," piped up Aile, "And there was one hunter, Bomber Lizard, who tried to challenge us to a duel."_

_"Tried?" Draynor pressed._

_"Well Giro stepped in but..." Aile trailed off, suddenly aware of the _'this isn't a good idea'_ look that Vent was giving her._

_"Anything else?" Draynor asked. Both of them shook their heads. "Very well. You're both dismissed."_

"Well he would have kept us there untill we gave him what he wanted!" Aile shot. Vent had just snapped at her for sharing the details of the previous day with Draynor. She and Vent didn't argue as much as they used to, but there were still times like these that they had their disagreements. They were both alone in the debreifing room and Megamerged. They had just been assigned a mission and were now waiting for Commander Signas and the others.

"But still! Sempai didn't even trust him! That should have been an indicator for you to keep quiet!" Vent shot right back.

"Look, I trust Draynor just about as much as you do, alright? Besides, you used to a blabbermouth yourself!" Vent blushed as Giro, Signas, X, Zero, and Axl came in.

"That was years ago! And besides..."

"Alright, break it up you two," said Giro. Both of them became silent as X, Zero and Axl came up behind them. Signas stood in front of them and began to debrief them on their mission.

"You've got to be kidding! What Maverick, or anybody else for that matter, in their right mind would come out here!?" Aile could feel the cold even through the Model X's armor. The best way she could describe that area they were in was that it was an arctic wasteland. She was fairly certain that if it wasn't for the armor, she would have frozen to death by now.

"I'm with Aile on this one. Its freezing out here! I'm suprised my circuts aren't frozen solid yet!" Normally reploids like Axl weren't affected by the cold that much. But there were extremes like these where they were affected.

"Quit complaining. The base isn't far from here and it'll likely be warm there." Zero sighed. Axl could be such a kid sometimes.

Vent couldn't help but sympathize with Aile's statement. He was pretty sure that Giro was feeling a similar way, being a reploid from a different time and not all that different from a human as a result.

"Let's get moving. The Maverick isn't getting any closer!" X said.

As the group made their way across the barren, frozen landscape ("I thought you said it wasn't that far Zero!" Aile snapped), Aile noticed that X was deep in thought. She ran up to him,

"Hey! What's on your mind?" She asked curiously.

"Nothing." X said just a bit too quickly, snapping back to reality. Aile narrowed her eyes suspisciously. She'd seen one other person act like this...

"Thinking about a girl?" It wasn't Aile but Zero who said this as he came up behin them.

"N-no!" X protested. Aile and Zero both had knowing smiles on their faces.

Vent, meanwhile, couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding. It was too quiet, he felt as if something was going to happen at any moment.

What happened next was a bit confusing. A swarm of moth Mechaniloids had suddenly swooped down out of nowhere. Vent, along with the others, managed to take out a few of them before one of them knocked him off balance, causing him to fall over. But instead of landing in snow and on solid ground, he went right through the snow and into a hole!

"VENT!" was the last thing he heard Giro and Aile yell out before he fell out of range of their voices and not long after, slammed hard into the ground and his vision went black.

_Memories...Of his mom and that terrifying attack that had taken her life..._

"Vent..."

_Of Aile, who he had grown up with and was chosen by the Model X along with him..._

"Vent..."

_Of his sempai Giro, who had raised him and Aile and of the battle where they were sure he had perished..._

"Oi! Vent! Wake up!" Someone shook him. Vent groaned and opened his eyes. When he did, he saw Axl over him. How did he wind up here?

"Same way you did. I fell," said Axl, reading his mind.

"Where are we?" Vent sat up and looked around. The first thing he noticed was that he was no longer Megamerged, with the Model X nowhere in sight, likely still with Aile. He and Axl were in some sort of gigantic cavern. Looking up, he saw light way up high from the opening he had fell through.

"Feeling alright?" Axl asked as Vent stood up, and brushed himself off, "It looks like this cavern goes deeper," Axl continued, "Wanna check it out?"

"Might as well," Vent looked up again. He had fallen quite a ways, "I don't think we'll be able to get back to the surface any time soon."

The tunnel went deep underground. The path was rocky and Vent felt himself quickly tire from constantly having to climb up and down the numerous boulders. He slipped and fell a few times, espescially places where it was mysteriously wet.

"Hey, I think I see something up ahead," said Axl. Vent looked up to see a light at the end of the tunnel (no pun intented). As he and Axl approached it, it grew brighter untill it looked like the source was just over a fairly large pile. Climbing it while trying not to slip, Vent looked down when he reached the top. He couldn't help but gasp slightly at what he saw. Axl was just as amazed.

The light seemed to be coming from a statue. A fairly big statue of a large dragon on a pedestal. The dragon looked noble, its wings spread, and its position was much like that of a proud lion surveying its kingdom. It was like an incarnation of pride, noblity, and majesty in dragon form. In the pesdestal itself were several holes, like there was something that was supposed to go there.

But that wasn't all. Standing in front of the statue was a teenage girl. She had head length red hair, and wore a very simple kimmono. She wore a headband in her hair and was facing the statue, seemingly unaware of Axl and Vent. She was at the same time simple, yet elegant.

Then she spoke without turning, her voice like a soft melody, "I have been waiting for you, Inheiritor. Come down with your friend. The world is in grave danger and we will need your strength among others."

Vent took a few moments to process this, "Are you...talking to me?" He asked cautiously.

"Of course Inheiritor, come down. We need to talk."

"Why is she calling you 'Inheiritor?" Axl asked Vent in a wisper.

"No idea, but lets go." The two slowly made their way down. Vent did his best to not slip on the rocks, lest he fall and crash on the ground again. He didn't think it was a particulary good idea to do that twice in a day. He jumped off the pile as did Axl when he was close enough to the ground. The girl spoke again without turning,

"My name is Tatiana. I am a maiden of this shirine."

"Shrine?" Axl asked.

"Yes the shrine of the Time Dragon."

"Time Dragon?" Vent asked confused.

"The one who guards the crystals. It is the duty of us maidens to watch over and tend to the shrine and care for the Dragon's statue, so that he may continue to watch and protect the crystals." She paused for a moment. Axl and Vent said nothing as she turned around. She had forest green eyes, their depths portaying her wisdom and maturity, despite her age.

"At the beginning of time itself for this world," Tatiana began, "Several crystal were formed from what remained from the world's creation."

"The time crystals, right?" said Vent suddenly. Tatiana smiled, while Axl looked at him in disbelief,

"How'd you know?"

"She said that this was a shrine dedicating to protect crystals. Those were the only crystals I could think of that would need guarding."

"Yes," said Tatiana, still smiling, "It just so happens that an ancient dragon, taking refuge on this world after his own was destroyed, discovered the crystals. Realizing the danger they posessed, he knew at once that they required protection. As time wore on, the dragon realized that his time was coming to an end. He supposedly kidnapped several young maidens, leading to those stories you hear of dragons who steal away young girls. In truth, they had come with him of their own free will. These girls became the first maidens of the shrine he had built for the crystals' protection.

"He built a shrine way down here!?" Axl exclaimed.

"He needed a place that was discreet. And this was one of the best he could find. After the maidens swore to forever to protect the shrine, he encased himself in stone, so that he would last as long as the earth that stone came from. For centuries, countlesss maidens have served here, making sure that the stone never once dulled, that no crystal strayed from its keeping place." At that moment, both Vent and Axl realized that the pedestal was meant for holding the time crystals! "We maidens were rewarded of course. We were rewarded with longer life, and the ability to recive premonitions of the furture among other powers. I have been expecting you two for a while now."

"So what happened? The crystals aren't here anymore," said Vent.

"A solar storm."

"What!?" Axl asked confused.

"A solar storm caused the crystals to vanish and scatter across this world."

"One more thing, why did you call me 'Inheiritor?'" Vent asked.

"Because," Tatiana began, "That is what you are. One of many Heirs to a great power. Use that power wisely." Vent got the feeling that was all he was going to get from her. She suddenly glowed with a mysterious aura, "Your fellow Inheiritors among your other friends are waiting for you. But before you go, I tell you this: Find the crystals before the evil ones do. Once you have found them all, bring them back here, so that the Dragon may watch and protect them once again. Also, watch for Silvera. If you are ever lost, Silvera shall point you in the right direction."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" was the last thing Axl said before he and Vent were engulfed in light. For a moment, they both thought that they saw the dragon, the one the statue supposedly was, rise up and let out a tremendous roar, a proud roar, as if it was approving of their mission. Then the world went black for both of them.

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I'm going to have some mild romance in this story (Not yaoi or yuri! I hate that stuff!) but that's only because I've been reading WAY too many romance fics and want to try my hand at it. I absolutely love dragons, hence the reason that I wanted to include one in this story. Certainly going beyond your typical crossover, aren't I?

I reeeaaallly hope I didn't over do it in terms of fantastical explanation in this chapter, but the purpose of this chapter was to explain the time crystals' backstory. Tatiana is an OC of mine so I own her.

In the next chapter, a new antagonist appears, but is it really a foe?

R&R!


	9. Chapter 9

Finally managed to find a scene divider that isn't eliminated when the document is uploaded. My chapters should seem more organized now.

In the last chapter, I gave the time crystals' back story. I know that it may have seemed a bit out of place, but that's just how the chapter came out. In this chapter, I'm going to introduce a new antagonist into the story. I GARUNTEE that it will be satisfying! I hope you all enjoy this chapter of "Twist in Time!"

Disclaimer: I don't own Megaman, okay?

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Vent groaned as he opened his eyes. What had happened? Then it all came back to him. About the shrine, the dragon, and the girl Tatiana…

"VENT!"

"Huh?" was all Vent got out before he felt someone hug him tightly, "Aile…" his whispered softly as he recognized who it was.

"Do you have ANY idea how WORRIED I was!?" She exclaimed, hugging him even tighter, "When we saw you fall I thought…I thought…" Her voice trailed off as she let go of him. Vent looked up to see the Model X, hovering in midair.

_You all right? We found you just outside the base._ The mental voice had a tinge of concern.

"I'm in one piece. So yeah, I think I'm okay." He looked at Aile, "Where's Axl?"

"He's in the medical bay. By the way, Draynor wants us."

Vent groaned, "Again?"

n/n/n/n/

"Have a seat." Draynor's voice was still as smooth and polite as ever. Vent and Aile were once again in Draynor's office. As they both sat down, he continued, "I suppose your both wondering why I asked for you." They both nodded, "Well you see, I've come across some disturbing information and I wanted to warn you two as well as collect enough evidence to take proper action."

"What was the information you came across?" Vent asked.

Draynor cleared his throat and waited a moment before saying, "One of the Hunters…I've discovered that one of them didn't even exist until about a month ago!"

"What?" Aile asked, a bit confused.

"What do you mean?" Vent asked.

"Normally when a new reploid is built, it's immediately registered in a database. In this way we always know that something is up if an unregistered reploid appears, especially as a Maverick." Draynor paused for a moment before continuing, "One of the reploids currently with the Hunters, I found, was never registered anywhere before joining the Maverick Hunters. This is such an unusual occurrence, that I knew it needed looking into. Since the reploid in question has not gone Maverick yet, my superiors will hear none of it. But I believe that action must be taken before it's too late."

"Who exactly is the reploid you're talking about?" Vent asked.

"And what exactly do you want us to do?" Aile added.

"The reploid in question is called Girouette. And also, I need you two to tell me this: Have there been any…suspicious activity around the HQ?"

It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. "W-what do you mean 'suspicious activity?'" Aile asked shaken.

"And just what do you plan on doing with Sempai!?" Darynor cocked an eybrow at Vent's outburst,

"'Sempai?' If you're talking about Girouette, Vent, then there's really no need to accord a reploid such respect. To answer your question, if I present enough evidence to my superiors, then they'll need to take action and likely properly dispose of him.

To answer your question, Aile, the Hunters are the only large group of reploids that lies almost completely outside of government control. Now don't interrupt what I'm about to say, my superiors even agree with me on this. We believe that the Hunters may be up to something. Therefore, we decided that we needed some way of keeping an eye on them and stopping any operation that goes against the common interest."

"You…you're planning on using us!" Aile cried out in realization.

"Such a harsh was of putting it. But me and my superiors need some way keeping a close eye on the Hunters and what better way than through an inside source? No we aren't planning on using you. But who in their right mind would refuse our offer? You will be rewarded of course."

"For what? Betraying out friends?" Vent asked, seething with anger. Draynor suddenly stood up, his hands on the desk,

"Let me make this clear to you both. You call those things your friends. But that is not true. It's impossible to truly befriend a reploid."

"And why's that?" Aile snapped.

"Because they are no more than mere machines. They aren't alive. It isn't a good thing to get attached to something that isn't even real."

"How can you SAY something like that!?" Aile yelled, standing up, utterly shocked and appalled.

"We're leaving," said Vent, standing up as well.

"Couldn't agree with you more."

n/n/n/n/

"I suspected that the government planned on using you two to investigate the activities of the Hunters."

"Well why the hell didn't you tell us earlier!?" Alie snapped. Signas cringed while Vent looked on. He and Aile were in Signas's office, to inform him of what had occurred.

"I assumed you both already knew." Signas admitted. Aile sighed and took a deep breath.

"Alright, sorry. But still…! If I ever see that Draynor again, I swear I'll…!" She left the rest of the sentence hanging as she left the office.

"She has quite the temper doesn't she?" Signas commented to Vent.

"That's an understatement. Trust me," said Vent.

n/n/n/n/

"The things that guy said were unbelievable! I mean…" Aile trailed off again as she shook her head and leaned back on the couch. She and Vent were in the hunter's lounge, along with Giro, X, Zero, and Axl. They were just telling about their conversation with Draynor.

"I hate to break it to you, but a lot of humans in this time share an opinion similar to Draynor," said X. Vent and Aile looked at him in surprise.

"But that's…" Vent began.

"It's not something we control," said Zero, "All we can do is keep fighting Mavericks."

X sighed, a bit depressed, "A lot of the Hunters here, myself included, hope to someday find a way to stop the Maericks for good, and then we could all live in peace."

"But the trouble is, what will happen after that when the humans of this time share such a low opinion of all of you," said Giro in understanding.

There was a silence. Aile slowly stood up, and quietly left the lounge.

n/n/n/n/

"I'm not too sure about this Sempai…" Vent and Giro were right outside of Aile's room.

"Aile hasn't come out all evening. I'm sure something is bothering her. We really should check up on her," said Giro as he knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" asked a voice inside.

"Aile, it's us, Giro and Vent. May we come in?"

There was a pause and then, "Alright."

Giro slowly opened the door to find Aile sitting on her bed, looking distressed despite her attempts to hide it. "Hey, what's wrong?" Giro asked softly as he sat down next to her. Vent stayed outside.

Aile shook her head, "It's just that…things are so different here. I'm starting to feel a bit homesick. It's at times like these that I wish that things could back to the way they were before…with you, me, and Vent…but then…" She shook slightly, clearly trying to hold back tears, "But then I remember that CAN'T happen. Too many things have changed and too much time has passed."

Vent looked on in surprise. It was obvious that this wasn't the first time Aile had gone through something like this.

"There's more then that bothering you. What is it?" Aile shook at Giro's question. There _was_ something else but she wasn't sure if she should tell him…

"I think I know what it is," said Vent quietly as he came in and sat down next to Aile, "You're worried about what Draynor said earlier, aren't you?" Aile nodded slightly, "That's what I thought. If it makes you feel any better, I'm a little nervous about what he said too."

There was a silence. Giro recalled what the two had told them about their conversation with Draynor. They weren't used to this time, weren't prepared for how different it was from their own. And finally, he said,

"I can't promise that things will ever be the same. That's impossible. But I can promise you both one thing. That when we get back home, we can be a family again."

Aile couldn't take it anymore. She broke down, sobbing, burying her face in Giro's shoulder. She felt a bit like a little kid again, crying like that, but at the same time it felt like a much needed release.

n/n/n/n/

"Hey Axl, wake up." Axl groaned and shifted. When he opened his eyes, he found Vent right outside of his capsule. Opening it and then sitting up, Axl rubbed his eyes,

"What's up Vent?"

"Come on, there's something me and Aile need to show you." Axl yawned and slowly followed Vent out of the room.

"So where are we going exactly?" Axl asked curiously as he and Vent made their way through the halls of MHHQ.

"Keep it down. We don't want to wake anyone up. It's just something important that we need to show you."

"What about X and Zero?"

"This just involves you. There's no need to wake those two up. Same goes for Sempai."

Axl was getting very curious at this point. The suspense was starting to kill him as Vent lead him out of the base and towards the city.

"Where's Aile?" He asked.

"She's already waiting for us," Vent answered.

Axl took the time to look around. The lights of the city almost made it seem like it was still daytime, when in truth it was the dark of the night. Vent was leading him to an abandoned part of the city, where many of the buildings were crumbling and the only light came from the flickering streetlights.

"This way," said Vent gesturing towards an alleyway. "You first,"

Axl walked through the alleyway, "So what did you guys want to show me anyway?" He asked, he voice full of curiosity.

There was a cry of "Double Megamerge!" And then he was blown back by a charged buster shot.

"What the hell?" He looked in the direction the shot came from to see Aile approaching him, in ZX form and with her ZX buster, "Aile? But…why…?" He turned around in time to see Vent as he flicked on his ZX saber. He had a determined look in his eyes.

"Forgive us," said Aile, "But in order to preserve our time's future, we must destroy you."

----------

Man I'm evil! Honestly though, did any of you see this one coming? BTW we haven't seen the last of Draynor, not by a long shot!

In the next chapter, why did Vent and Aile betray Axl and need to destroy him!? Are the other hunters involved? Will they find out what happened in time to rescue Axl?

R&R!


	10. Chapter 10

I bet I shocked you all with the ending of my last chapter, huh? I'm not going to give away what happens in this chapter! You'll have to read it for yourselves!

Since I didn't have time to properly respond to my reviewers, I'm going to do it here:

Sleic: Thanks for the review! And we'll see if Axl survives or not in this chapter.

Gamma Sage: I'm glad you're enjoying my story! I know that the Model A is "supposedly" not Axl but…well you'll have to read this chapter!

Capt. Cheese: You'll see in this chapter whether or not Vent and Aile actually kill Axl. Thanks for being such a consistent reviewer!

Archaon: Chronoforce? Actually, that's not a bad idea. You'll get a glimpse of exactly why Vent and Aile want to destroy Axl in this chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs

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"X! X! Wake up!" X groaned a bit. He opened his eyes to find Aile, in ZX form, standing just outside his capsule.

"What's going on?" X asked, still feeling a bit sleepy. He didn't get back on duty for another few hours. What would be so urgent that Aile would need to wake him up?

"It's too much to explain right now! Axl is in big trouble! Vent went to wake the others up! We have to get moving before it's too late!" Aile's urgent tone plus the mention of Axl was enough to completely wake X up.

n/n/n/n/

"I don't get it, why would your doppelgangers be after Axl?" Zero asked, as the group made their way through the city. Giro was wearing a very thick cloak to cover his appearance, since Vent and Aile were using the Model Z. He didn't particularly want his cover that he had actually been Megamerged most of the time to be blown quite yet.

"We don't know," admitted Vent, "But what we do know is that they have possessed the ability to transform into us ever since they battled us."

"They're very dangerous," Aile added, "But the most important thing is that we get to Axl and pull him out of there before it's too late!"

"If you two don't mind me asking, why exactly did you need model ZX for this battle?"

Vent looked at Giro with hardened eyes, "Because we're going to need all the power we can get."

n/n/n/n/

Axl couldn't believe what was happening. He had come out here at Vent's request, only to be lead straight into a trap. The pair had cornered him in the alleyway. The worst part was there was no way out. He had attempted to turn into a flying reploid to get out, but Vent had brought him crashing down to earth with his Rising Fang attack. He had attempted to fight back, but they were more powerful than he had expected.

He currently lay, severely damaged on the ground. His auto-repair systems could barely handle it. If he made it out of this, he would be in the medical bay for at least a week. He could sense Vent hovering near him, preparing his saber for the final blow. Axl didn't even look up, he just shut his eyes and braced himself for the end.

It never came.

There was a sound of two sabers clashing together. Axl looked up and was suddenly confused and relived at the same time. _What the hell is going on here!?_

Standing before him was Aile, obviously having blocked Vent's saber with her own. What really confused him though, was that the Aile that had attacked him was standing just a few feet away! She had a confused look, as if trying to process what happened. Then out of nowhere, another Vent, also in ZX form, came down and attacked her! She managed to jump away in time and fire off a few shots from her buster, blowing him back a few feet.

Meanwhile, her carbon copy pushed Vent back with her saber and sliced at him while he fell back. Vent barely missed the saber coming down as he jumped back. It was obvious that he was also trying to figure out what was going on. It was supposed to be a simple mission, but these clones of him and Aile were now getting in the way. He didn't have much more time to think though, before they started attacking him and Aile again.

While Axl tried to process what was going on before as the battle unfolded before him, he heard a familiar voice call out to him,

"Axl!"

"X!?" Axl yelped in surprise as the blue hunter got down on one knee next to him.

"You alright?" X asked, even though it was blatantly obvious the Axl was far from "alright." X examined the young hunter. He had sustained a lot of damage. If they had arrived any later…well, all that mattered was that they had gotten here in time.

"X, I don't get it, what's going on? And how did you find me?"

"Vent and Aile, the real ones, led us here," said Zero as he also got down next to Axl, "Can you sit up?" He asked.

"Like this, no. You guys have NO idea how relieved I am to see you!" But now another thought was nagging at Axl's mind, "What do you mean by the 'real' Vent and Aile?"

"Those ones who attacked you are no more than mere posers!" Giro said, coming up from behind.

"WHAT!?" Aile cried out in shock, having overheard, "Those two that lead you here are the fak-ack!" A buster shot from her doppelganger barely grazed her.

"Keep your focus on the battle!" She yelled.

"…I think we have a problem," said Zero.

"Both of them claim to be the real ones, so how can we tell?" X asked.

Giro thought for a moment, as an idea formed. "Vent! Aile! Whichever ones are the real ones! Do you remember when and where your parents died?" He called out.

_A lie-detector test! Classic._ Axl thought to himself. By asking questions only the real ones would know the answer to, they could figure this apparent mess out.

One of the pairs, the ones that had helped them, stopped and gave a confused look. The ones who had attacked Axl, also stopped and looked down, albeit sadly.

"Our parents died ten years ago in relation to our time…" said Aile sadly.

"It happened at an amusement park…it was attacked by Mavericks…" Vent added, sadness in his tone showing as well. The apparently fake pair suddenly realized that their cover had just been blown.

Both Vent and Aile, the real ones, acted quickly. With a quick slash of their sabers, they sent a midair shockwave right in the direction of their posers. The shockwave blew them back, crashing them against a wall.

"Ow…that smarted…" a female voice came from the dust.

"I know that voice…" said Vent slowly in realization, "But why would you two be doing this!?"

"Why would you two be doing _this?_ Attacking someone of another time!" A male voice spoke that time.

"We have our reasons," retorted Aile.

"Huh, well I certainly didn't see that attack coming. I suppose you have a reason for developing a technique like that?" The female voice asked.

"It's something that we were reserving in case we encountered those Biometal thieves again. Even then, we wouldn't use it lightly, considering what is does…." Vent said.

The dust finally began to clear, and the Hunters couldn't help gasping when they saw who was standing there.

One of them was a teenage girl with blue-gray hair. The other one was a boy, also a teenager. He had grey hair and two strange cords coming from his back.

Vent's eyes blazed slightly, "Grey…Ashe…we won't fight you two. But we came to this time on a mission. And it's one we intend to finish!"

"I know you want to protect everyone, but you're starting to get a bit out of bounds!" Ashe shot.

"Neither of you seem to get the consequences if you go through with this!" Grey added.

"Oh really? Just watch!" That was all Aile said before she became a red blur…and then…

There was the sound of two sabers clashing. Aile looked surprised. Zero had blocked her! She was trying to get at Axl and properly finish him.

"You think we're just going to sit here and watch?" Zero asked, his voice cold as he shoved Aile back.

"Why would you two be trying to do this!?" Giro demanded.

Vent winced slightly as Giro's outburst, "We're sorry Sempai. But we have to do this or there won't be a future!"

"Oh and you think we're going to just stand here!?" Ashe snapped.

"We'll fight if we have to!" Grey added as a black and white object floated in front of him and Ashe.

_! A Biometal!_ Giro couldn't believe it. There was an eighth Biometal!?

Ashe and Grey grabbed the object and let out a simultaneous cry of "Megamerge!" Then there was a flash of light.

Grey and Ashe's Megamerged form once again reminded the hunters of Zero, except without the hair. The armor was red and navy-blue with what looked like the top of a screw in the helmet. Both of them were dual-wielding a pair of fairly large busters.

Vent made the first move. He dashed forward towards Ashe with his saber.

Thinking quickly, Ashe yelled out "A-Trans!" There was a flash of light. And then standing in Ashe's place was a green armored warrior with two short wingies protruding out of the helmet. There was a loud sound as Ashe used her new form to block Vent's saber with the pair that she now had.

Grey meanwhile, quickly went over to where X and the others were watching the unfolding battle. "You all right?" He asked Axl.

Axl glared at him, "What do you think?"

Grey sighed, "Here. Use this." He produced a blue container and set it down. Giro blinked,

"An E Tank?"

"A brought it to this time just in case." Grey explained.

"GREY! Just a _little_ help here!!" Ashe's voice was different, an effect of the A-Trans. Vent and Aile had ganged up on her and she was vainly trying to parry both of the sabers that were coming at her hard and fast. She was lucky that this form had duel sabers.

"Yikes! Excuse me." Grey turned his attention from the group and to the battle.

There was a yell of "A-Trans!" followed by a roaring.

"What the-!? Eeek!" Aile didn't have any time to react as an ice dragon came at her full force and slammed her against a wall. Grey had changed into a blue armored warrior that had a long thruster a bit like a ponytail attached to the helmet. "Ow…" Aile winced slightly as she got up. Before she could make her next move, Grey had dashed forward and swiped at her with the halberd that he now wielded.

Ashe meanwhile was thinking furiously about what to do. They had to end this battle so that they could get some explanations out of Vent and Aile. As Vent slashed at her, she jumped in the air using her form's thrusters to gain more altitude. Hovering, she began to charge up her sabers.

Vent noticed her charging and knew what she was doing. "Not gonna happen!" He yelled as he used his Rising Fang attack to slash upward with his saber. At the same time, Ashe finished charging. The result was interesting. Ashe's charge attack summoned two cyclones, which Vent came into contact with as soon as he had knocked her out of the air with his Rising Fang. They both wound up crashing hard into the ground.

Grey finally figured out a way to end this battle but also mentally slapped himself for not thinking of it earlier. It was a bit risky but he and Ashe had grown experienced enough to not harm anyone except the intended targets. Blowing Aile back with another ice dragon, he quickly reverted back to his normal Megamerge form. "Take cover!" He yelled.

Ashe immediately understood and also reverted back to her normal Megamerge form. She ran over to where X and the other were. "What's going on?" Axl asked, looking a bit better thanks to the E Tank.

Ashe's eyes glimmered, "You'll see…"

"GIGA CRUSH!" Grey cried as he leapt in the air cloaked by a stange aura and soon shots were flying everywhere. Vent and Aile were completely taken by surprise by what was Grey and Ashe's ultimate attack. By the time the smoke cleared, there was no sign of either ZX pair.

"Are they…?" X started to say. Ashe shook her head,

"No, they're both a lot tougher than that. They have to be somewhere…Aha! Look on that roof!" X and the others looked where Ashe was pointing. Indeed, both Vent and Aile, still in ZX and looking a bit worse for wear, where up on a nearby rooftop.

"Y'know, you both can end this right now!" Aile snapped irritably, some of her temper starting to show through. Those two had not only ruined their plans but had also complicated things to an unprecedented level.

"No way! We won't give it up!" Grey's voice was firm.

"Why are you two doing this!?" X asked. Vent sighed,

"Because our time faces grave danger. It's the whole reason we came to this time. We didn't even expect Pandora and Prometheus to be here, much less Sempai," Vent looked X squarely in the eye, "Maybe you and Zero could-"

Zero cut him off, "Never! Axl is our friend! We won't turn on him like that!"

"Then I suppose…" Vent hesitated, and looked at Giro. Giro merely shook his head, out of disbelief and disappointment,

"I don't know what you're both thinking, but I'm not going along with it. You've both changed, but it's obvious that some of those changes weren't for the better," his voice grew soft; "I came here to prevent Pandora and Prometheus from severely altering this time. And that's exactly what you two are trying to do. I'm sorry." He added.

Both Vent and Aile looked shattered. "Then I suppose this is where we all go our separate ways," Vent finally managed to get out.

"The next time we meet, it will be as enemies, not allies. We WILL destroy Axl! The fate of our time depends on it!" Aile did her best to sound confident, but it was obvious that she was just as broken inside from Giro's short speech as Vent was. She and Vent turned to leave and then…

There was a flash of light.

"Model Z…?" Vent and Aile had been reverted back to their Model X form.

_I'm sorry,_ said the Model Z as it hovered in the air, _But you both know that the only reason I have stayed with you up until now is because Giro had asked me to lend you both my power shortly before his death. But now that he has returned, I'm afraid that I must remain with my chosen one._

Both of them looked a bit disappointed. This meant that they couldn't use Model ZX. "Well, I guess we have to let you go then," said Aile. The Model Z _had_ originally been Giro's. It was only right that it returned to its proper owner.

_OI! Model X! Tell me that you honestly aren't going to help those two! _Axl blinked. That had definitely not been him thinking!

Giro also put on a puzzled look. That mental voice had not belonged to the Model X or the Model Z. _It has to be those other two's Biometal._ He thought to himself as the Model Z floated near him. At least he didn't have to worry about going back to base not Megamerged.

_I am going to help them. The danger faced is real, and could potentially destroy everything, _said Model X.

"And this is where we leave," said Vent as he and Aile turned and vanished into the darkness of the night.

"Those two are unbelievable!" Ashe finally spoke up as a flash of light reverted her and Grey to their normal forms.

"So you're the Model Z's Biomatch?" Grey asked Giro.

Giro blinked, "Biomatch?"

"Just another term for a Chosen One," explained Ashe.

"Just who the hell are you two?" Zero demanded.

"And why were Vent and Aile trying to destroy me?" Axl added.

"To answer you're first question, I'm Grey."

"And I'm Ashe." A black and white object came out and floated out in front of them, "And this is our partner, Model A."

"So that's your Biometal. It's nice to meet you," said Giro courteously.

_Nice to meet you too! Huh, I didn't think that the Model Z had a Chosen One. It was always with Vent and Aile, _said Model A.

"Remember, those two said that the Model Z was a memento from a friend…" Grey looked at Giro "I take it that you're that friend, right?"

Giro nodded, "Yes…I suppose…" He looked at the Model Z which floated a bit questioningly.

"Hey! What about our second question?!"

Ashe blinked, "Well actually, we aren't too sure about that. You see, those two are convinced that the Model A posses some kind of serious danger. But what-Axl is your name, right?-Has to do with it is beyond us."

"Um…" Axl suddenly looked nervous.

"What's up?" Zero asked.

"Well, you see I just heard this really weird voice in my head just a few minutes ago and well…" Axl shifted a bit uncomfortably.

The Model A hovered close to him, _Can you hear me?_ It asked.

"Yeah I can but I have no idea why."

"That's really weird. Normally only Chosen Ones can hear the Biometals. And I know for a fact that Chosen Ones didn't exist before our time." Ashe commented.

"Actually I have a pretty good explanation for it," said Giro, "You see, when I came here I had a theory that the heroes the Biometals were based on would be able to hear their respective ones. This was confirmed when I later found out that Zero could hear the Model Z and even later learned that X could hear the Model X."

"I get it. So if Axl can hear the Model A that means…" Grey trailed off. There was a very dead silence. There were only the sounds of the nearby city.

"Excuse us for a moment," said Ashe, breaking the silence. She grabbed Grey's shoulder and took him off to one side. As they whispered to each other, X turned to Giro,

"What do you think this all means?" Giro simply shook his head.

"I have no idea. The fact that there is an eighth Biometal in itself was a shocker for me. And I already told you that I didn't recognize Axl when I first came here. Which means something happened at some point that prevented him from being recorded into history like you and Zero were."

Grey and Ashe finally finished their conversation and turned to the group, "After talking it over," Grey began, "Me and Ashe have decided that in order to get some solid answers, we need to come with you guys."

"How do we know that we can trust you!?" Zero snapped.

"While it's true we had to trick you guys, if we hadn't, Axl would have been murdered," said Ashe. She smirked, "Not very bad acting, eh?"

"Even so, we more trustworthy than those two who tried to kill your friend. We came here to find some answers and we don't plan a leaving until we do." Grey finished.

"What do you think, X?" Axl asked.

X sighed, "As much as I hate to admit it, those two are justified in deceiving us, although I didn't know that such a situation existed. For now, we might as well let them come back with us to HQ."

Giro nodded in agreement. He grabbed the Model Z and was soon Megamerged. Turning to Grey he advised, "I strongly recommend that you remain Megamered once we get to HQ. It'll be better that way."

Grey blinked, "Why's that?"

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This chapter marks the end of my first story arc, where I set most everything up, and marks the beginning of the second story arc, where I really get into the story. Grey and Ashe are obviously going to play prominent roles, and Vent and Aile's role in the story is far from over. There's going to be lots of action, some romantic hijinks, and much more.

Having already beaten Advent, I know that the Model A is "supposedly" not Axl. But I have a bit of a theory on that point. Besides, there are so many similarities between the Model A and Axl (just compare what they look like!), that there has to be _some_ connection, right? (Or maybe I'm just desperate because Axl is my favorite MMX character). Either way, it certainly served as a good way to introduce Grey and Ashe into the story as well as serve as another subplot.

In the next chapter, with Vent and Aile's betrayal and the appearance of Grey and Ashe, things start to really heat up as Pandora and Prometheus reappear. Amidst it all, X, Zero and Axl aren't sure who to trust. Grey and Ashe had to deceive them right off the bat and the recent betrayal by Vent and Aile is fresh in their minds.

A sincere thanks to all my reviewers!

R&R!


	11. Chapter 11

I went through SERIOUS writer's block in typing up this chapter. I'm talking "Oh god I don't even know how to START this chapter" writer's block! Thankfully I overcame it, but as you can see by the late update, it kinda took a while.

Quite the plot twist in the last chapter, huh? I have a pretty clear idea of where to go from here but following up on a chapter like that can be difficult.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs

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"So this is the Maverick Hunter HQ? Impressive." Ashe meant it too. The only time she had seen so many people in one place before was at Legion back in her time and _that_ was a while ago.

X, Zero, Axl and Giro had lead Grey and Ashe back to HQ. Grey was currently Megamerged, but he couldn't get out of Giro exactly why he had to remain that way.

"It'll probably be better if you just figure it out for yourself," Giro had told him.

"I'm glad you like it here. This is where you're both going to stay if you really want to hang around," said X.

Ashe became aware of the many damning looks she was getting, but she didn't question it until she heard someone near her say, "Hmph! Another one! Only a matter of time now before they decide to do away with us!"

Ashe turned to face the one who had said it, "Oh, and you are?" She asked, a bit annoyed.

Bomber Lizard snorted, "You don't need to know that right now. Where are those other two? I think one of them owes us an explanation!"

"I agree," came another voice. The group turned around.

"Commander Signas," said Zero as the commander walked up to them.

"Would you all mind coming with me to my office? I believe that we need to have a discussion."

n/n/n/n/

"So long story short, Vent and Aile had their own agenda coming here and Grey and Ashe here were the ones who bailed me out." Axl finished. Signas nodded in understanding. The group was in Signas's office. Alia was there too, although they weren't sure why.

"I see, so Vent and Aile were from Giro's time all along. And why didn't you bother telling me?" Signas asked.

Giro shifted uncomfortably, "I'm still trying to have as little impact on this time as possible, as hard as it's starting to get. I don't believe in what those two are doing, my only reason for coming here was to deal with Pandora and Prometheus. But frankly, things are becoming more and more complicated."

"And you two?" Signas asked. Grey stiffened slightly while Ashe simply shrugged.

"We came to this time in search of answers, among them the true reason why Vent and Aile attacked Axl and what kind of danger they believe the Model A possesses," said Ashe,

"Speaking of which…"Alia spoke up, "Would you either of you mind showing me?"

"Showing you what?" Grey asked.

"I mean showing me what you and Giro really look like. Your story sounds so unbelievable that I would like to see some proof."

"I'm a bit curious myself," admitted Signas.

Giro and Grey were both silent. "What are you going to do?" Zero asked.

Giro sighed, "We'll show you. But you have to promise not to tell any one else of all this. It's too risky."

Both Signas and Alia nodded in agreement and then there was a flash of light…

"Yeah, it caught us off guard too," said Axl mildly as Alia nearly fell over and Signas put on a look of surprise.

"But you look no different from humans!" Alia cried out.

"It's typical for our time," Giro explained as the Model Z hovered in front of him.

"By the way, I noticed that some of the hunters here were looking at me in a well…not so friendly way. Could you maybe offer an explanation?" Ashe asked.

"I'm afraid you won't like the answer. You're presence here specifically is going to inevitably attract some unwanted attention and potentially cause some problems," said Signas.

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Because things in this time are different," said Giro simply, "I think you'll figure it out soon enough."

n/n/n/n/

"X! Wait up!"

"Hm?" X turned around to see Alia running up to him. He had just left Signas's office and the rest of the group had already gone their separate ways, "What do you need Alia?"

"I was just thinking…" she started as she stopped in front of him, "Are you worried at all?"

"About what?"

"Well I mean…that girl, Ashe was her name, is the third human to show up here who can transform like Vent and Aile could. Isn't it only a matter of time before the government decides to take notice?"

"It is but…" X trailed off and thought for a moment, "Neither her nor her partner, Grey, seem to have any idea of the state of human and reploid relation in this time. I think it'll be interesting to see how she reacts."

"Oh…" said Alia. There was an awkward moment. They both looked liked they wanted to say something important but neither could find the words.

"Well, I better get back to my station." With that, Alia turned, and left down a hallway.

X looked in the direction she left. He heard someone behind him say, "Well she seems nice. Which is a lot more than I can say for most of the stuck up bunch around here!"

X whirled around to find Ashe, who was leaning against a nearby wall, "How long were you there!?" He demanded.

"Long enough," she said simply.

"Don't get me wrong here. None of us particularly trust you or Grey."

"I know that. But we did what was necessary, and we're going to figure out what's going on here if it's the last thing we do!" She looked in the direction that Alia had left, "You like her?"

"Huh?"

"That girl that just left. Do you like her?" Ashe repeated.

X turned bright red, "W-what gave you that idea!?"

"Well for one, you're blushing right now," she shrugged, "But I suppose it's not really my place to ask you about those kinds of things." She turned and left, leaving behind a puzzled X.

n/n/n/n/

"What do you think, X?"

"I'm not sure Zero. I suppose the ends justify the means in their situation but..."

"But the cold hard truth is that they still had to trick us, and it's particulary hard to trust after what happened with Vent and Aile."

"Speaking of which Giro, any chance of that happening with you?"

"Ha ha! No, Axl. I'm simply here to stop Pandora and Prometheus, nothing else..."

"What's up? You don't look so good..."

"It's nothing Zero."

"I'm less worried about Grey than I am about Ashe."

"Why's that Axl?"

"Because Ashe is human. And it's only a matter of time before **they** find out that she's here..."

"We'll just have to trust that she has enough sense to make the right choice when that happens."

n/n/n/n/

_The next day..._

"I don't get it! No matter where I go, all I get is glares all around!" Ashe and Grey were walking around the base, curious about this new place they had wound up in. Ashe had naturally seen several things that would fetch for a decent bounty back home.

"I don't really understand it either. Can't say I had any luck getting anything out of Giro either," Grey looked at the Model A armor.

_I'm starting to understand why me and Grey have to remain Megamerged though._ Model A piped up.

"Really?"

_Yeah. The reason is so that so you look a bit more like the reploids of this time! No offence but with those cords you have, it would be hard for you to be passed off as a human in this time._

Grey blushed slightly as Ashe laughed, "It's got a point there!"

"If I may ask, who exactly are you talking too?" came a smooth polite voice from behind them. Grey and Ashe whirled around. Standing there, was none other than Draynor, in his usual, up kept manner.

"And you are?" Ashe asked.

"My name is Draynor Cornelius. I am here to check up on the Hunter's newest human recruit," he responded in his usual voice, "I was called here by the commander you see."

Grey didn't like the vibe he was getting from this guy, "What do you want?" He asked.

Draynor half-ignored him, talking to Ashe, "What I want is for you-Ashe is your name isn't it?-To come with me for a few moments. I would like to talk in private."

Ashe leaned in close to Grey to whisper in his ear, "I don't like this guy. For some reason, he reminds me of Albert."

"Just go along with it for now," Grey whispered back, "We'll figure it out later."

"Excuse me, but are you coming or not?" Draynor asked a bit impaitiently. Ashe turned away from Grey and nodded towards Draynor.

_I don't like that guy very much either,_ said Model A as Ashe walked away with Draynor, _He gives me the chills and I can't help but think of Albert with every word he says!_

"Yeah, I know..." agreed Grey.

n/n/n/n/

"So what exactly do you want?" Ashe asked.

"I just want to make sure that you are getting settled in," replied Draynor as the pair walked to an empty hallway, "You know that with the other two, Vent and Aile, having departed, you are the only human Hunter there is."

Ashe looked mildly surprised, "You mean that humans can't become Hunters?"

"Of course not! It's much too dangerous to risk human lives in this war."

"You seem willing enough to put reploid lives on the line though," she pointed out, leaning against a wall, "Why's that? What makes the reploids more qualified than humans?"

"It's not a matter of qualification," began Draynor, "That's another reason I wanted to talk to you. I made the mistake of letting your predecessors go too long here without my intervention. It's not a mistake I intend to repeat. So let me begin by saying this; the reason we let reploids fight as Hunters instead of humans is because reploids are much more expendable. Using them is the best way to reduce human casualties, by not forcing our own to go out there and fight the Mavericks. In fact, the only reason that we're allowing you to stay with the Hunter is becuase I have recieved personal assurance that you posses a transformation abillity similar to Vent and Aile and are just as capable in battle."

"Back up a few minutes! What do you mean reploid lives are more _expendable_!?" Ashe demanded.

"Because they are nothing," said Draynor as calmly as ever, "Let me put it this way, a machine, no matter how complex, is still a machine. And that is exactly what reploids are. Your predecessors made the mistake of getting attached to them. I hope that you don't intend to do the same. We need someone here to help us monitor the Hunters' activities. We don't want another rebellion on our hands."

Ashe went dead silent, taking in everything Draynor had just said. She looked like she was about to say something when Draynor continued, "By the way, the reploid I saw you with earlier, I had heard a bit about him from the commander. I did a little research before coming here. He is not registered anywhere, not even with the Hunters. He is the first one I would like you to check into. An unregistered reploid is always a bad sign, Maverick or not."

Ashe couldn't believe this guy! "Listen!" She hissed, seething with anger, "Grey happens to be just as much a part of this as I am! There's nothing about him to 'investigate!"

"But-"

"Grey happens to be my _friend_! You say that reploid lives are more expendable! That couldn't be farther from the truth! They're _living things_! You don't have the right to determine that they're worth less then anyone else!"

Draynor was silent for a few minutes before talking again, "I can see that your opinions lie among the minority. Nevertheless, we still need someone to help us watch the Hunters. I doubt you would be foolish enough to refuse us."

This guy was unbelievable! Ashe turned to leave, "I've done crazy things before. And where I come from, you would be considered any better, or even worse, than those damn Raiders!" And with that she turned and left.

n/n/n

"What happened?" Grey asked as Ashe entered the command center. They had just been called there along with X, Zero, Axl, and Giro. Ashe looked very pissed.

"I don't want to talk about it!" She snapped, "Just unmerge so I can transform!"

"Yikes! Alright!" There were a pair of flashes of light and Ashe was soon Megamerged. She was still seething over her encounter with Draynor. Just who did that guy think he was?

"Hey Grey, what's with Ashe?" Axl wispered, nudging Grey slightly.

"Beats me." Grey wispered back.

"Ahem," everyone turned to face Signas as he began to speak, "If I may begin the reason all of you were called here is because we dectected an odd yet familiar pair of signals."

"Pandora and Prometheus," said Giro without even asking.

"Wait, are you saying that those two are in this time!?" Grey asked, slightly shocked.

Giro looked at him oddly, "Yes, are you familiar with them?"

"It's a long story, but yeah, we are." Ashe looked at the nearby computer screen, "We heard Vent and Aile mention them but..." her voice trailed off. She and Grey remembered all too well their last encounter with Pandora and Prometheus.

"I don't think there's any need for explanations," said Signas, "The teleporter is already prepared, I'm trusting you all to hopefully get rid of them for good this time."

"With any luck," Axl murmered. He then noticed that X look a little, well, odd, "What's up X?"

"I can't really explain it but I have a feeling that this won't be the end of it, far from it actually." X responded darkly.

n/n/n/n/

"Right on time! I knew you were all bound to show up sooner or later!" Prometheus's cackle was one of the first things the group heard when they landed in the area. It was an abandoned residential district, with much shorter buildings than in the newer district. Prometheus was standing on top of one of these squat structures.

Ashe looked towards where Prometheus was standing and growled, "Prometheus...and I'm going to guess that Pandora isn't too far behind." As if on cue, Pandora warped in right next to Prometheus.

"The Model A Chosen Ones..." said Pandora, "This is unexpected..."

"Not like it's going to matter in the end though! Especially after we've achieved our goal!" Prometheus reminded her.

"I know what you two are up to!" Giro snapped. Prometheus cocked an eyebrow,

"Oh really? And what exactly are we up to?" He asked cooly.

"You're after the time crystals! I don't know what you plan on doing with them, but I've had enough experience with Mavericks to know that it's nothing good!" X shouted.

Grey and Ashe both blinked, a tad confused, "Time crystals?" They echoed simultaneously.

Prometheus laughed, "Oh, comparing us to the Mavericks of our time, are you?" X faltered slightly. The feeling of dread that he had since before leaving HQ was growing stronger...

"It is foolish to assume...that we are anything like the Mavericks of this time..." said Pandora.

"Because you two aren't Mavericks," said Grey simply, "But just what are you doing in this time?"

"It's nothing you need to know Defective!" Grey stiffened at Prometheus's snarling comment. Ashe looked at her friend in concern. They weren't going to use his past against him were they?

"What does he mean by 'Defective?'" Zero inquired.

"It's a long story," said Grey.

"And one he would prefer not to discuss," added Ashe.

"We have the upper hand..." said Pandora. The groups' attention shifted to her, "We will succeed...Failure is not an option for us..."

There was the sound of a few more warping into the area and then...

"What the-!?" Axl cried out in confusion. They had seen two of those figures before, but what did it mean?

"What the hell is going on here!?" Zero asked, also recognizing two of the newcomers.

"This isn't good..." X trailed off. His feeling of dread had proven to be a warning...

"I don't know what's going on, but this is starting to get out of hand..." Giro couldn't believe what was happening. Pandora and Prometheus were indeed desperate...

"Not good!" Ashe exclaimed.

"You all shouldn't be here!" Grey shouted.

Standing near Pandora and Promethues were four new fighters that Grey and Ashe recognized all too well...

----------

Who can guess who the four newcomers are?

Since the Biometals relatively don't talk much in the games and because of the sheer number of characters in this fic, sometimes I find it hard not to let them just fade into the background. There has been a few times where I have edited a scene just to make sure that they can get a few lines in! It should be a bit easier with the Model A because it's very chatty in the games in comparison to the other Biometals.

Not spoiling what happens in the next chapter!

A sincere thanks to all my reviewers! I'm SO SORRY for not replying to most of you for the last chapter!

R&R!


	12. Chapter 12

Before anyone asks why this took so long, I was grounded. The final part of this chapter was fairly easy to write actually. I also made this extra long to boot!

I hope you all enjoy the twelfth chapter of "Twist in Time!"

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs

----------

Standing there, next to Pandora and Prometheus, were a green warrior, a blue one, a red one, and a purple one. The green one and the blue one were ones X, Zero, Axl and Giro recognized. They had seen them when Grey and Ashe had battled Vent and Aile the other day. The others they didn't recognize.

The red one had two spikes protruding from his helmet. Strapped to his back were a pair of powerful looking busters. The purple one had a mask that covered most of his face and that combined with his glowing red eyes gave him a demonic look. A small, ragged cape flowed out from behind him.

"Aeolus, Atlas, Thetis and Siarnaq!" Ashe hissed.

"What are you four doing with Pandora and Prometheus?" Grey demanded. 

The green one, Aeolus, crossed his arms, "We share similar goals, so we decided to form an alliance."

"You four do realize that by being here, you endanger your own existence!" Giro called out. His mind was whirling. Ashe and Grey obviously recognized these four.

_Be careful, I sense Biometal on these four._ Said the Model Z. Giro nodded in understanding,

"Right." But what did this all mean?

The blue one, Thetis, put on a look of surprise, "What's this? Another Mega Man?"

"MEGA MAN?" X, Zero and Axl were thoroughly shocked. Up until this point, Giro had simply referred to those who could use the Biometals as Chosen Ones. He had never made any mention of Mega Man!

"He's one that was originally eliminated early in the Game of Destiny," Prometheus explained, "He's supposed to be long dead, but I guess he's one who just doesn't know when to die!"

"I see," Aeolus looked at Giro straight in the eye, "As for endangering our own existence, that's but a mere technicality."

"One that we already have a solution to!" added the red one, Atlas.

"You mean the time crystals! And you think we're all going to just stand here and watch?" Zero asked coolly.

"Heh, resistance!" Prometheus activated his scythe, "Y'know, we never got to finish that battle!"

"Bring it on!" Zero shouted, activating his saber.

"APPROACHING BIOMETAL SIGNATURE," The purple one, Siarnaq, suddenly spoke.

"Another one? Who exac-ah!" Prometheus's lips curved into a smile when he saw who had just warped in and was now standing on a nearby rooftop.

"You four! I knew we would catch up to you sooner or later, just didn't expect it to be here!" Aile was Megamerged, with Vent standing next to her. She crossed her arms, "Y'know, this is actually pretty convenient, you can all just hand over your Biometals right now and that'll be one thing off our checklist!"

"The Model X Chosen Ones…" said Pandora quietly. Turning to Prometheus she said, "We should leave…we must finish gathering the time crystals."

Prometheus growled. Turning to Zero, he said, "This isn't over." He warped out, with Pandora close behind.

"HEY! Wait for us!" Thetis yelled. He warped out, along with Aeolus, Atlas, and Siarnaq.

"This…isn't good," said Axl a few moments after Pandora and Prometheus and the Megamerged quartet had warped out.

"So they ARE after the time crystals!" Giro exclaimed.

"Ahem." The group looked up to find Vent and Aile looking down at them. Remembering why they had come to this time, they all quickly took a battle stance.

Vent shook his head, "No, we won't fight you here, or now."

Aile turned to Vent, "We detected a strange signal earlier. Y'think that might have been a time crystal?"

Vent turned to her, "Probably, it's similar to previous signatures we've gotten of the crystals. If we hurry, we might be able to beat Pandora and Prometheus to it and retrieve the stolen Biometals while we're at it."

Aile turned back to the group, "Don't get any ideas. Our ultimate goal in this time remains the same. But we aren't going to let Pandora and Prometheus get away with this either. We'll come back for Axl later!" Aile then warped out.

Vent looked at the group silently for a few moments. They all tensed. Was he going to attack? Letting out a depressed sigh, Vent turned and warped out.

"What the hell was that all about?" Zero asked.

None of them had any time to answer before…

"Oh dear, did he already leave? I was hoping to talk to him." The group looked around for the source of the voice.

"W-who said that?" X asked, wary. 

There was the sound of someone warping in. When the beam dissipated, a strange creature was standing in its place. It looked a bit like a small fox, with silver fur, and silver eyes. It seemed to project a mystical and mysterious air.

"It seems things are starting to slowly spiral out of control, doesn't it?" It asked, "A pity that the Inheritor left, I was hoping for an audience with him."

"Who…are you?" Grey asked.

"And who exactly were you hoping to talk to?" Zero added.

"One thing at a time, dearies!" The creature looked away, staring off into the distance, "My name…is Silvera. I am a guardian of this world. I make it my task to assist where I may be useful." She looked back at the group, "As for who I wanted to talk to, I was hoping to talk to the one Tatiana had spoken with." She paused and thought for a few moments, "What was his name again? He's always accompanied by that girl, and he just left…"

"Is it Vent by any chance?" Axl asked.

"Ah yes, that's it!" Silvera smiled, "It's rare when Tatiana talks to someone face to face, you see and I always want to make sure that she knows what she's doing when she chooses to do so."

"Wait a minute…" Axl began slowly, "Tatiana was the one me and Vent talked to at that weird shrine! And you must be the Silvera she was talking about!"

"Axl, do you know what the hell she's talking about?" Zero asked.

Axl shrugged slightly, "Somewhat…"

"Indeed dearie. I already know enough to know that you are safe enough, Axl."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I know that Tatiana was right enough in talking to you. It's Vent I'm worried about."

"Why's that?" Ashe asked, "He's nice enough, he's just gotten a little…skewed off course."

"Precisely! A strong sense of justice can be a good or bad thing depending on one's definition of justice. What if, for example, someone viewed evil acts as 'justice?' A sense of what is right or wrong varies, even slightly, from person to person," Silvera smiled sadly, "That is the reason I'm so worried about Vent. He has come to view a potentially devastating and evil act as an act of 'justice.'" 

"Are you talking about his attempts to destroy Axl?" Giro asked.

"Perhaps, or perhaps that is not the case. That is up to you dearies to decide."

"Would you _make sense_?" Ashe asked, slightly frustrated.

"It is never a good thing for one to know too much about the future. I, like the maidens of the Time Dragon's shrine, possess the ability to receive visions of the future. But mine is far stronger than their's."

"What are you trying to get at?" X asked.

Silvera turned, her back facing the group, "I understand that at the moment, you Hunters are very confused about what is occurring. X, dearie, I think you might find it useful to tell the Inheritors your full name." She paused for a moment, "Within this time lies keys to secrets of another. Many trials and battles lie ahead. I wish you all good luck on the long road ahead." She warped out before anyone could say anything else.

"Hey X, just what did she mean by your 'full name?'" Grey asked.

X gulped, slightly uncomfortable. If he told them, it would likely raise multiple questions. But then again, maybe it would answer a few of the questions he, Zero and Axl now had. 

"She means just what she said," said Zero, sounding more than slightly shaken.

"My full name…is Mega Man X. Everyone just calls me 'X' for short," X explained.

The look on Giro, Grey, and Ashe's face was incomparable. "B-but…" Ashe began, her voice faltering.

"X, Chosen Ones in my time, they're called Mega Men…" said Giro, thoroughly shaken.

"W-what do you think it means?" Grey asked.

"I have a better question, why are Chosen Ones in you time called Mega Men?" Zero demanded.

"Don't look at us, we didn't think up the title! It kinda came with the job!" Ashe snapped.

"Hey, guys, Silvera said that our time held the keys to secrets in another time, y'think the 'other time' she was referring to your guys' time? Maybe this is one of the 'secrets' she was talking about," said Axl.

"Maybe," said Giro. His mind was whirling with everything that had happened. What did it all mean? That fox had said that many trials and battles lay ahead. Did that mean that this was far from over? The only thing that he was sure of was that Pandora and Prometheus wanted the time crystals. But why? Why did they want to alter this time?

"I have a question, what are the 'time crystals' that you all keep mentioning?" Grey asked, "And more importantly, what are Pandora and Prometheus doing here?"

"From what Vent and Aile told us, the time crystals are crystals that have power over time itself. The more crystals one has, the more power. A single crystal gives one the power to slow and stop time." Giro explained.

"So if a single crystal can give one powers like that, what happens when you collect all of them?" Ashe asked. There was a silence. No one knew and no one wanted to think about it either.

"As for the reason Pandora and Prometheus are here," said Giro, breaking the silence, "We aren't really sure…"

"Huh," said Ashe, "I get the feeling a lot has happened before we came here, hasn't it?"

"…The purpose of Mega Men is to guide humanity along its path of evolution…" Grey said in barely a whisper before anyone could respond to Ashe.

"Come again?" Giro asked.

"Its something we were told during the Game of Destiny," he explained.

"That's right! It wasn't true of course, but still…" Ashe shook her head gently, "There were some who believed it was true, mainly those four idiots who just left with Pandora and Prometheus."

_What exactly was this 'Game of Destiny' that keeps being mentioned? _The Model Z asked.

"I wouldn't mind knowing either," Zero muttered.

Grey shifted uncomfortably, "It's kinda hard to explain…"

"Here, let me. The Game of Destiny was something the Mega Men of our time competed in. The one who could defeat all the other Mega Men became ruler of the world!" Ashe snorted, "And you know what? It was all the biggest load of crap ever. In the end, it was just a way for a certain mad scientist to take over the world himself. And the Mega Men were no more than just pawns in the whole thing!"

"Did Vent and Aile participate in this by any chance?" Giro asked.

"The opposite actually," said Grey, "They both worked to try and stop it even before they were even totally aware of the Game and its rules."

"But you both participated, right?"

"I was just…" Grey's voice trailed off.

"Grey was just trying to regain something he had lost," Ashe cut in, seeing how Grey was struggling, "And I was just doing some jobs that involved participating in the Game to earn some extra cash, put simply."

"So, considering how you're both still here, I take you stopped the bad guy, right?" Axl said.

"Pretty much."

'_Oh…no...'_ The Model A suddenly spoke up.

"What's wrong?" Grey asked while X and Zero looked at him oddly.

'_Do you remember why those four were competing in the Game of Destiny? Maybe the reason they decided to team up with Pandora and Prometheus was so they could…'_

"Crap, I see where you're going with this. Worse, you're probably right," said Ashe

"Right about what?" X finally asked.

"The Model A thinks that they reason that the other Mega Men are here is so they can alter the past in order to create their ideal world!"

----------

I SWEAR, I can NEVER go a SINGLE fic without making SOME mention of Pokemon! Why do I say that? Because Silvera is technically a silver Evee! I came up with her after seeing a picture of a shiny Evee on But that doesn't make this a Pokemon crossover. In the stories I come up with (obviously I don't post most of them), I usually portray Silvera as either a mystical creature from another world or even a reploid herself (albeit, a highly unusual one) in case of Mega Man fics. In other words, she just happens to look like a shiny Evee, but is actually not one at all. So what exactly is Silvera in this fic? That's for me to know and you to find out!

I pulled a small joke on Atlas in this chapter. Can anyone figure it out? Also, I originally had a huge battle scene planned for this chapter. But because of a combination of writer's block, the fact that this chapter was already lengthy, and that I decided that I had kept my readers waiting long enough, I decided not to include it. I hope none of you feel cheated for that!

In the next chapter, Vent and Aile reflect on their goal in 21XX and wonder if it will lead to the repetition of a living nightmare. Meanwhile, a cocky Bomber Lizard challenges Ashe to a little competition.

A sincere thanks to all my reviewers! 

R&R!


	13. Chapter 13

With any luck, I won't keep you all waiting as long as I did with the last chapter again, but my parents like banning me from

With any luck, I won't keep you all waiting as long as I did with the last chapter again, but my parents like banning me from typing as a punishment. I decided to focus on developing a few characters in this chapter.

This story is up and running again so enjoy the thirteenth chapter of "Twist in Time!"

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs.

--

_Aile found herself in front of the old Slither Inc. building. Vent was next to her. They were both merged with the Model X._

This seems so familiar…

_She felt her heart drop when she saw who was in front of both of them. He was trying to maintain control of himself, if only for a few seconds longer…_

No…I remember this…

"_Vent…Aile…Shoot me..." Giro managed to get out before Model W's power completely overtook him._

God not this again…

_She still remembered everything. Her sadness when he asked them to shoot them. Her horror when he started to attack. She went through the whole fight, and then she saw the lighting bolt attack strike Giro with her and Vent calling out to him in worry and fear…_

Aile woke up in a cold sweat. She was in bed, in an old abandoned house she and Vent had discovered while looking for a place to stay for the night. The area had apparently been attacked by Mavericks years before, and the prior inhabitants had fled, leaving nearly everything behind.

The house was very dusty, with mold growing in several places. They had swept and cleaned up the place, if only to make it inhabitable again. Cleaning the kitchen especially had not been pleasant. They would have probably avoided it if it wasn't for that awful smell that came from there. The house itself was fairly small, with only a few bedrooms, a kitchen, and what looked to be a living room.

Aile sighed, relived that the dream was over. "I thought I was long over that," she muttered to herself. After that battle, she had been haunted by nightmares of it. Vent hadn't faired much better either. They had both blamed themselves for what had happened, herself for being so reckless, Vent for not being able to protect Giro. It had been like the nightmares she had were taunting her, reminding her that it was all her fault.

Aile would later find that it was a bitter irony, that both she and Vent had finally gained the power to protect those around them, yet they were still unable to save the one closest to them at the time from dying…That day was the day that Vent had promised himself that he would become a Mega Man that could protect everyone. Aile herself had made a similar vow. Unfortunately for her, it had been lost among the events that happened soon after Giro's death, which for her included an identity crisis and some surprising revelations about the enemy she and Vent had dedicated themselves to fighting.

Realizing that she wouldn't be getting back to sleep any time soon, Aile climbed out of bed. She decided she needed some fresh air, so walked out of the room and down the hallway of the house. It was very dark inside, and a little bit creepy, although she was the last person to admit something like that.

She felt a bit better once she was outside. The air was cool and crisp, with a slight breeze that blew around her lightly, as if nature itself was trying to comfort her. Aile looked up into the night sky. The lights from the city a mile or two away blocked out some of the stars but it could do nothing to hinder the light of the bright crescent moon.

Aile smiled sadly. When she and Vent had come to this time, they had thought it would be simple. Find Axl, destroy him, and then go back home.

But that was before they had found out Giro was alive…and that Pandora and Prometheus were here as well.

"So I'm not the only one who can't sleep tonight."

Aile turned around to see who was talking, "Oh, Vent."

Vent smiled as he walked up next to her, "What woke you up?" He asked curiously.

"An old nightmare," she replied simply.

There was a silence, both lost in their own thoughts. It was Vent who finally spoke, "You think we're going to end up fighting Sempai again?"

Aile shook her head, "I don't know. On one side we have a task to complete in this time, but on the other side, Giro opposes what we are doing, so well…"

He nodded in understanding, "I know how you feel…"

Another silence.

"Vent," Aile said slowly, "If we do wind up fighting Giro again…this time it will be for real…we'll be enemies…Giro won't be possesed by Model W or anything…this time, if he dies again, it will truly be all our fault…"

"Don't talk like that!" He snapped, "If we do fight, we have enough experience and knowledge to not only succeed but to also avoid having that happen. We'll just disable him so he can't fight. We'll do the same with X and Zero as well."

She sighed, "I just can't shake this feeling…" Looking out at the city, she asked, "What are we going to do about Pandora and Prometheus?"

"I think those two are first priority at this point. I don't particularly want to think about what they want to do that requires the time crystals."

"…There's another reason isn't there?"

"What makes you say that?"

Aile snorted, "I know you to well, that's why!"

He sighed, "You see…why me and Axl were underground the other day…I met this girl, Tatiana was her name, and she asked me to collect the time crystals before 'the evil ones' did. And I have a feeling that the evil ones she was referring to was Pandora and Prometheus."

"Not to mention those Biometal thieves!"

"Yeah, she probably meant them too."

Aile smiled at him slightly, "So, looks like we have another mission. We need to find the time crystals as well"

Vent smiled back, "Yeah."

There was another long silence, both of them enjoying the serenity of the night, with only the noise of the nearby city to disrupt it.

Aile finally yawned, "Well, I'm going back to bed. G'night."

"Good night," Vent said to her as she left. He stayed out there for a few more minutes. _I still wonder…what did Tatiana mean by 'Silvera?' She said that when we were lost, Silvera would point the way. But what did she mean by 'lost?' Will we lose sight of our goals? Or did she mean it literally?_ He finally sighed in defeat. He better get back to sleep. Tomorrow was another day. They would have to get up early and start tracking down the crystals. Even now, Pandora and Prometheus and those Biometal thieves were probably still trying to find them, and might have even found one. Turning around, he went back inside.

--

I actually had another part planned for this shorter chapter, but I decided to shift it to the next chapter. I think I really deepened Vent and Aile's characters. Just a side note, the Model X didn't notice either of them going out as it was preoccupied with it's own thoughts (it's encountered it's past self after all. The Hunters and Grey and Ashe aren't the only ones struggling with the implications of what they've learned in 21XX!) so that's why it didn't get any lines during this chapter. However, to make up for the lack of focus on the Biometals (not to mention their lack of lines!), I'm planning on basing a chapter around them in the future. But that's for another time!

In the next chapter, the focus shifts back to the hunters as Bomber Lizard challenges Ashe to a little competition while Grey learns a bit more about the time he and Ashe are in.

Sincere thanks to all my reviewers!

R&R!


	14. Chapter 14

While finishing up the next chapter of "MMX: Of Creatures and Reploids" I decided it was time to get back to work on this story. I hope you all enjoy the fourteenth chapter of "Twist in Time!" And I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting again!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs

--

Light filtered in Ashe's bedroom window as the sun began to come up, giving the room a golden hue. That wasn't what woke her up that morning, however.

_C'mon Ashe! It isn't like you to be sleeping in like this! X, Zero and Axl are already up!_ Ashe groaned,

"Give me a break Model A. A lot has happened these past few days..." Then a sudden realization struck her. She sat up quickly, facing the Biometal floating near her, "Wait a minute! Aren't you supposed to be with Grey!?"

_He's still asleep. Don't bother waking him up. I already tried._

"And you decided to wake me up instead? What's your reasoning behind that?"

_Well..._ Before the Model A could respond, a knock came at Ashe's door,

"Hey Ashe, you awake in there?"

Ashe sighed, "Yeah, Grey I am. What are you doing up anyway? Model A said you were still asleep."

"Speaking of which, is it in there with you? I need to transform before someone sees me." The door cracked open. The Model A floated over.

_Sorry. Thought you were still sleeping._ Model A sounded sheepish. There was a flash of light as Grey Megamerged.

"Hey Ashe. I'll meet you in the lounge, alright?"

Ashe yawned slightly, "Alright."

n/n/n/n/

"If you ask me, Signas is nuts for allowing another one to join up."

"What happened to those other two anyway?"

"I personally don't trust her."

_Jeeze, what's their problem?_ Ashe wasn't stupid. She was more than aware of the numerous hunters talking about her. She didn't get what the deal was though. At the moment, she was making her way to the hunter's lounge. She overheard another conversation,

"This is bit by bit turning into the beginning of a disaster."

"Look on the bright side, at least we're only dealing with one instead of two."

"I agree. We're lucky those other two are gone, but one can still become a problem for us."

Ashe knew by now that the 'other two' they kept on mentioning were Vent and Aile. What surprised her was how bitter they talked about them. What had they done that had caused the hunters to talk about them like that?

More importantly, what had she done?

"Hey Ashe! Glad you could join us!" Axl greeted her warmly as she entered the lounge.

"Hey Axl, where's X?" She asked, noticing how Zero was there along with Axl and Grey, but X was strangely absent.

"Likely flirting with Alia again," said Zero in a flat tone.

"So he DOES like her!"

"It's not obvious?" Axl asked as Ashe sat down next to Grey.

"Something bothering you?" Grey asked, noticing how Ashe slouched slightly.

"It's nothing," Ashe assured him.

_It doesn't _seem_ like nothing. Not much can get you down Ashe._ The Model A remarked.

"Oh, be quiet."

"Hey! Human!" Everyone turned to the lounge entrance to see who had spoken. Axl then groaned,

"Not him again!"

Bomber Lizard didn't seem too happy. He was standing at the entrance, looking at Ashe.

"Excuse me, but were you talking to me?" Ashe asked.

Bomber growled, "Of course, considering how you're the only human here."

"What do you want anyway?" asked an annoyed Zero.

Bomber ignored him, "Listen human, I don't know what you're doing here or what Signas was thinking, letting you into the hunters! But I do know one thing. If it wasn't for that transformation ability of yours, I doubt you could even keep up with us!"

Ashe raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? And would you maybe like to test that little theory of yours?"

Bomber smiled evilly, "A competetion then. And then I'll show you that you don't belong here!"

n/n/n/n/

"Here's how this works. Once the simulator starts, numerous enemies are going to come at us. They won't attack but there will be a good number. The one who can scrap the most wins. Got it?" Bomber asked.

"Sure. Just don't whine when I beat you!" Ashe replied.

Grey, who was watching with Zero and Axl in an area off to the side, groaned. Ashe was being overconfident again. He just hoped she wasn't in over her head.

"What's going on here?" X and Giro walked up to the group.

"Where have you two been?" Zero asked.

Giro yawned, "I slept in. After all that's been happening these past few days, I needed it."

"I was catching up on a few things," said X simply.

"So what's happening?"

Grey sighed, "Ashe decided she needed to teach one of the hunter's here a lesson. Apparently they have decided on a contest."

"With which hunter?" X asked. He and Giro looked toward the simulator area.

"Bomber Lizard!" Giro exclaimed.

"You know him?" Grey asked.

"Kinda. We battled once. I hope your friend knows what she's doing."

"I'm pretty sure she does. But why would Bomber want to do this so badly?"

Axl shrugged, "Bomber has a pretty big ego. And the other Hunters have a measure of pride as well. I don't really think any of them took very kindly to another human joining up."

Grey blinked, confused, "Why would Ashe being human matter so much?"

"Let me put it simply," said Giro, "Humans and reploids don't get along very well in this time."

Ashe felt pretty confident. From what this reploid said, this simluator was similar to the firing range back at Hunter's Camp. And she had the top score there. She heard a hum of electronics, indicating that the simulator was starting. She smiled and readied her buster. This was going to be a cinch.

n/n/n/n/

"I haven't seen anyone score that high on that thing in ages," Zero remarked as the simuluator turned itself off. Bomber was as still as a statue as Ashe walked towards the group, victorious.

"That's a serious blow to Bomber's pride. Maybe he'll finally lose the high-and-mighty attitude," Axl commented.

"Ashe doesn't consider herself a great Hunter for nothing," responded Grey.

"How can she consider herself a great hunter if she just joined up along with you?" Axl asked. Giro partially answered that question for him,

"You mean that Ashe is a member of the Hunter's Guild? She seems a bit young for it," he remarked.

"Technically we're both Hunters, but she's been at it a LOT longer than I have!" Grey replied.

"Excuse us? Hunter's Guild?" X asked.

"The Hunter's Guild is an organization in our time. The Hunters mostly search ruins for lost technology for bounties although they do hunt the occasional Maverick among other missions. Most of them are in it for the money I'm afraid," said Giro.

"They sound a bit like mercenaries for some reason," said Axl.

"Oh, just because we do things for the extra cash doesn't mean we don't have morals!" Ashe walked up to the group, "For example, we would never do something illegal. That's more along the lines of something Raiders would do," she explained.

"Raiders?" X asked.

"Illegal Hunters. We tangle with them from time to time."

"How long have you been a Hunter?" Giro asked curiously.

Ashe shrugged, "A few years. And I'm pretty good too! Even without the Model A, I can still hold my own against a Pseudoroid!"

"A what?" Zero asked.

"Irregular reploids. They look a lot like some of the battle reploids of this time," Giro explained.

Grey sighed. Ashe was a great Hunter. No one could argue that. His only concern was that her confidence was, at some point, going to put her in a situation that she couldn't handle.

--

Yes, I know I skipped the actual competition part! It was intentional!

I don't think this chapter is as well written as previous ones but I blame it on the number of characters I have to juggle now.

Once again I would like to apologize for taking so long to get my chapters out. I try my best to get them done as quickly as possible but right now I'm juggling two stories and my focus has a tendency to shift between them.

In the next chapter, a time crystal has been discovered. The catch? Its deep within a Maverick base! X, Zero and Axl now have to retrive it before the Mavericks discover just what they have and use it for their own ends!

A sincere thanks to all my reviewers!

R&R!


	15. Chapter 15

Hey everyone! I've been unable to access the USB drive containing my updates, so that's the reason that I've taken so long with this. The good news is, the next chapter is almost done, and I should have it up within this week.

I just read ZEROGRAVITY1's story, a triple crossover between Inuyasha, MMZXA, and MMZ called Megaman Zero Fusion Cross, and it turns out he had an idea very similar to my time crystal idea (read it and you'll see what I mean!). As I'm not sure who came first when publishing the idea, can't say if he got the idea from me or not (I'm not accusing anyone of plagiarism here, imitation is a form of flattery they say). Just wanted to comment on that, because it was really creepy how similar the idea was (It even had Pandora and Prometheus!)!

Rant aside, I had a fun time writing this chapter and I hope you all enjoy reading it! Enjoy the fifteenth chapter of "Twist in Time!"

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs.

--

"So why did you call us in again?" Zero asked. He was in the command room, along with X, Axl, Giro, Grey and Ashe. They had all just been called there moments ago, with absolutely no idea why.

"Do you guys remember that time crystal that Vent and Aile managed to...retrieve from Bomber Lizard?" Alia asked.

"You guys already found a time crystal?" Grey asked. He and Ashe _still_ didn't know exactly everything that had happened before they had shown up to rescue Axl. Sometimes it felt like they were purposefully withholding information. He supposed they still had some troubles trusting them.

"Bomber had it. We didn't even know until Vent and Aile found out and...Removed it from his possession," Axl explained.

"Well, by using the signal emitting from that crystal," Alia began, "We were able to locate another crystal." She brought up a location on-screen, "The crystal is located here, in an abandoned military base." The Hunters then noticed the multiple other signals in and around the "abandoned" base.

"You're kidding! That place is infested with Mavericks!" Axl exclaimed.

"We know," said Alia gravely, "We aren't yet sure if the Mavericks realize what they have in their possession yet, but it's only a matter of time…" She left the rest of the sentence hanging in the air.

"Mavericks…with a time crystal's power…I can't imagine…" Giro muttered, "We have to retrieve it!" He said.

"Actually Giro, Signas wants you and Grey to check on another area. We can't detect anything yet, but we suspect Maverick activity," said Alia in an apologetic tone.

"Huh? Why do I have to go with him?" Grey asked.

"Trust me on this one, taking regular missions will pay off in the long run. When do we go?" Giro asked.

"I already have the teleporter on standby. You all can head to your respective destinations when you're ready," said Alia.

"Hold it! What about me?" Ashe asked, realizing that she hadn't been given anything!

"Well…Signas wants you to stay here. Apparently he thinks it's too risky for you to be sent out."

Ashe seemed furious for a moment, and then became strangely relaxed, "Alright, the commander does know what he's doing," She said in a calm tone. She then turned and left the command room.

"She took that way too well. She's up to something, I know it!" Grey said.

_I agree. She had that look in her eye. But why wasn't she sent out with the rest of us? She can use me just as well as you can._ The Model A spoke ("Still not used to hearing it," Axl muttered under his breath.)

"It has to do with the fact that Ashe is human. Signas is too sure of her abilities quite yet," Giro explained.

_And how she did against Bomber Lizard yesterday doesn't count for anything?_

"I guess not," said Grey, still worried that Ashe was going to pull something off. He just hoped that if she was planning something, that it wouldn't wind up getting her killed.

n/n/n/n/

"Okay, here's the plan. We go in, grab the crystal, and get out of there as fast as we can," said Zero.

"Zero, the Mavericks aren't stupid. If we go in demanding the crystal, the Mavericks might wonder why the crystal is so important," X pointed out.

"I see your point. So how do we get to it without one of the Mavericks deciding to find out what makes the crystal so special?" Zero wondered.

"Simple! We just go in there pretending that we're simply on another Maverick raid, and then we 'stumble' on the crystal," said Axl.

Zero's eyes twinkled with familiar anticipation, "Great idea! We'll kill two birds with one stone by ridding the world of these Mavericks while getting the crystal while we're at it!"

X merely sighed. He was hoping this would be one mission in which they would actually be able to get away with minimum conflict.

n/n/n/n/

_Well there's certainly no Mavericks here. Just sand, sand, and more sand,_ said the Model A. Grey and Giro had been asked to investigate an area in the middle of the desert. But neither had found anything to even remotely suggest that there were any Mavericks at all.

_A's right. I doubt we're going to find anything._ Model Z said, _We should probably find somewhere to rest._

"Good idea," Giro agreed.

Grey looked around. As Model A had said, there wasn't very much except for sand dunes and the occasional cactus. Then he spotted something in the distance, "I think I see something. We should try over there."

Giro looked in the direction Grey was indicating, "There IS something there. Might be an oasis. Shall we go see for ourselves?"

n/n/n/n/

Zero loved this part of his missions. There were a few guard Mechaniloids and a few Mavericks talking to each other. He listened in on them,

"What about that strange crystal thing Flit found?"

"Boss says it's nothing of importance. He'll probably wind up giving it to Flit as a reward if he pulls off the mission he's been given."

"Does that bird even have the guts to pull it off?"

"Heh, we'll find out soon enough!"

Zero first let out a mental sigh of relief. The Mavericks hadn't found out about the crystal's powers yet. He began, with complete silence, to sneak up to the guards. He was just a few feet from them in a few moments, hidden by some dense foliage. He allowed himself to smile. These Mavericks would never see him coming.

He quickly leapt out from his hiding spot and, with a few quick swipes of his saber, dispatched the guard Mechaniloids. It took the Mavericks a few seconds to process what was happening.

"Hey! What's hap-" The last thing any of them saw was a glowing green saber.

Zero smiled in satisfaction. He turned on his com, "The guards are gone. Let's clean house."

n/n/n/n/

"So it WAS an oasis," said Giro as he and Grey finally arrived. The water was clear, indicating that the water was clean. Some vegetation, including a few trees, grew up around the sparkling water. If either of them had been human, the water would have been a welcome sight. "Let's rest here for a while, then let's head back to HQ."

Giro unmerged, while Grey looked on in surprise, "I thought you said…" Grey began.

_Well, think about it Grey. We're in the middle of the desert and miles away from any kind of civilization. What are the chances that someone will see us way out here?_ The Model A asked.

"Good point." Grey umerged and soon he and Giro were sitting at the edge of the oasis. In the background, they could hear their Biometals chatting.

"So, what's your story?" Giro asked curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"The Model A, how did you come across it? And what about Ashe?"

Grey smiled sadly, "I'm not really sure…but…alright." He took a deep breath, "I woke up, in a strange place, with no memory of who I was or where I came from. I had an encounter with Pandora…" His voice trailed off.

"Don't like talking about it?"

"I try not thinking about what she tried to do to me…or her reasons for doing so. I managed to escape from that place somehow. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in Hunter's Camp."

"I see. And is that where you met Ashe?"

Grey shook his head, "No…I met Ashe on a train bound for Legion. I joined with the Hunters so I could go there and maybe find out something about who I was."

_And of course, I was there too!_ A suddenly chimed in.

Giro blinked at the Biometals sudden interruption, "How?"

Grey chuckled slightly and allowed himself a slight smile, "It was on that train…that Model A first merged with me and Ashe. I'll never forget it."

n/n/n/n/

"_So, when are we leaving anyway?" Grey asked. He was on a train, accompanied by the Hunter, Billy, that had helped him earlier._

_Billy let out an amused chuckle, "Not yet. There's someone else who's coming along. Ah! Here she is!"A girl entered the area. She looked about sixteen, with blue gray hair. "You're Ashe right? They told us you were coming to help."_

_Grey heard the girl, Ashe, talk to herself, "This guy knows a lot about me. Well, I guess that makes it easy. Now we don't have to beat around the bush."_

"_Heh heh, it's nice to have a girl around." As Ashe climbed on the train, she noticed Grey. _

"_You don't really look very much like a Hunter. What's you're name?"_

"_My name is Grey, and I actually just started," He explained as the train started to move._

_Ashe seemed surprised, "You just started and you're already trying to cash in on something like Biometal? You must be pretty ambitious."_

"_Actually, Grey here is apparently suffering from amnesia," said Billy, "I'm taking him with me to Legion. He'll probably find something about himself in the databases there," _

"_I see."_

"_By the way, don't you think that a train for a single container is overdoing just a little?" Grey asked._

_Ashe looked at him like he was nuts, while Billy said, "What's in that container is called Biometal. Its very rare, and very valuable. So there's a reason we overdo it."_

"_Biometal…Why does that sound familiar?" Grey mused._

_Changing the subject, Billy said, "So Ashe, you're pretty brave to want to continue with this mission. Why do you want to be a Hunter so bad?"_

"_A group of Hunters found me as a little girl, and they raised me," she replied, "They said that the town I was in was attacked by Mavericks, and that I was the only survivor," he voice took on a sad tone, "So, no one knows who the real me is. I don't even know." _

_Grey looked at her in disbelief while Billy suddenly looked awkward and said apologetically, "Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have asked that."_

"_It's okay," said Ashe good-naturedly, "So I decided to become the greatest Hunter in the world! I want my story to go down in the history books! People will remember the name Ashe."_

She's just like me! She doesn't know where she comes from either! And does he know about me? _Grey blinked. While that first part had been his general train of thought, the second part hadn't been. And that had definitely not been him thinking!_

"_Who said that?" Grey asked._

_Ashe seemed similarly confused, "What was that? Was that someone's voice?"_

Hm? You two can hear me?

_Who, or what, the hell was that!? Grey wondered. But before the strange conversation could continue, a swarm a Mechaniloids suddenly flew overhead, attacking as they went._

_Billy cursed, "Mavericks!" He fired at one, destroying it, "They're heading for the engine! You two wait here!" _

_Soon after Billy left, the one person that Grey didn't want to see again warped in, accompanied by what looked like the Reaper incarnate._

"_There you are…! Defective Megaman…!"_ _Pandora hissed._

_Ashe gave Grey a questioning glance before turning back to the pair before them, "Prometheus, I had a feeling you would show up!"_

"_You again! You just don't give up do you? And Pandora, you couldn't even take care of one measly bug?" The Reaper, Prometheus, sounded creepy, and there was clearly a level of insanity beneath his voice._

"_My apologies Prometheus…And who is that girl…?_

"_Never mind her, she's nothing. Let's take back the Biometal and get rid of the Defective while we're at it!"_

_Grey couldn't believe what was happening, "You think I'm going to let you kill me without even knowing why!?" He demanded._

"_Kill you!?" Ashe looked at him in disbelief. It was obvious that she didn't have much of a clue as to what exactly was going on. She turned back to the Pandora and Prometheus, "If you two want the Biometal, you'll have to take it from my cold Hunter hands!"_

_Prometheus responded to their comments by sending out a shockwave with his scythe. Grey felt it rip through him, severely damaging him in the process. "Just lie there and die quietly scum," Prometheus hissed._

"_No…I'm…I'm…"_

_Ashe was similarly hurt, "No! Not like this!"_

_The voice he heard earlier rang through Grey's head again, _Hey! Grey! Girl! If you don't want to die, do exactly as I say!

"_Who are you!?" Grey demanded._

I'm Biometal Model A! Now I want you both to focus! Yell 'Megamerge!' as loud as you can!

_Despite how much it hurt, they both managed to steady themselves. With simultaneous cries, they yelled out,_

"_MegaMERRRGGGEE!"_

n/n/n/n/

"And the rest after that is history, right?" said Giro.

Grey smiled, "Pretty much. A lot happened after that, but what mattered was that that was a turning point for me…for all of us."

"After what occurred with Pandora and Prometheus, you both must be pretty willing to help us out with them in this time."

Grey shook his head, "While I'm not sure just what those two plan to do in this time, me and Ashe found out a lot about them. There's more to those two then you know." And under his breath, he added, "I just hope our next encounter goes over better."

"What?"

"Nothing."

_After all was said and done, we thought it was over. But then that fiasco involving Vent and Aile happened and now we're in the middle of a battle all over again. _Model A said.

Giro blinked, "What fiasco?" What had happened between Vent and Aile and the two Model A Chosen Ones that had sent all four back in time, two intent on altering time, the other two trying to stop them.

Before Grey could reply, a voice came over their coms, _"Grey, Giro, we need you to come back to base immediately. Your mission is over."_

n/n/n/n/

Destroyed Mechaniloids were everywhere. And at the center of it all were X, Zero and Axl.

"All these Mechaniloids and the occasional Maverick and still no sign of the crystal!" Axl sounded a bit frustrated, "Why can't they give as an exact location again?"

"There's something interfering with the signal," X explained, "We can only get a general area."

"That doesn't make any of this any easier," said Zero, "If we don't find that crystal soon, I think it's only a matter of time before _they_ find out about it and come looking for it themselves."

There was no need for Zero to explain just who _they_ were.

"_X! Zero! Axl! The time crystal should be just up ahead! Make sure to-Oh no!"_

"What is it Alia?" X asked.

"_The time crystal…it's started moving!"_

"WHAT!?" The trio yelled simultaneously.

"How!?" Zero demanded.

"Never mind that Z! We gotta catch up with that thing!" Axl activated his dash thrusters and dashed up ahead, with X and Zero close behind.

The next room was obviously a storage area, as there were Sub-Tanks and E-Tanks all around. There was also a destroyed Maverick in one corner. X went to take a look at it,

"It was destroyed by a buster," he noted, "Likely wielded by someone of considerable skill."

"This is probably where they kept the crystal," said Zero.

"Which way did the crystal go Alia?" Axl asked.

"_Follow my directions._"

Following Alia's instructions, the S-class Hunters followed the moving signal, destroying any Maverick that got in their way. After a few minutes, X realized something,

"However that crystal is moving, its heading _outside_ the base!"

Zero cursed, "If it gets outside the base, we may never get it! We need to move!"

He turned a corner and stopped, his eyes widening.

"What's wrong?" Axl asked, coming up behind Zero. He saw what Zero was looking at and gasped. When X came up to see what had shocked the two, he couldn't help but feel shocked as well,

"Holy…" X breathed.

The hallway was littered with destroyed Mavericks. Wires crackled and sparks flew. All across the floor, there were various mechanical parts. Some of them had been obviously blown to pieces by some kind of blast. It was obvious that something deadly had been this way.

"Someone besides us is here," Axl said, sounding slightly spooked.

"No shit," said Zero.

X checked one of the Mavericks, "They were destroyed by buster shots…Just like that Maverick in the storage room!"

"So the guy that did all this is the same guy that destroyed that Maverick?" Zero asked.

"Probably."

"But who the hell would be strong enough to do this!?" Axl gestured towards the various decimated Mavericks.

"From what I can see, the buster shots themselves weren't very strong. Whoever it was is familiar enough with using the weapon to do serious damage without using simply brute strength."

"I'd hate to see what the guy can do with more power," Zero remarked. Just then, their com came on,

"_Guys, Signas wants you three to come back to the base."_

"Huh, why?" Axl asked.

"_We lost the signal. The time crystal is gone."_

n/n/n/n

"So in the end, we were unable to retrieve the crystal," said X sadly. Everyone had returned from their missions and they were now all back in the command room with Alia and Signas. Ashe was strangely absent. They assumed she was bitter about not being sent out.

"I can't find it anywhere either," said Alia, "Either the Mavericks found a way to cloak it or it's in an area where the radar can't reach."

Zero was beyond frustrated, "Dammit, one of our most crucial missions ever and we blow it! Who know what the Mavericks plan to do with that crystal?"

"It was no fault on any of your parts," said Signas, "None of us could have predicted the time crystal moving or it's vanishing. The best we can hope for it that next time we find it, we use everything we have to retrieve it."

"But now the Mavericks have what is a very dangerous weapon in itself," X pointed out. How could he have failed this mission? Who knew how many lives would be lost because of this?

"Alia,"

"Yes sir?"

"Tell all our units to keep a lookout for anything unusual, such as unusually fast reploids or things appearing without explanation."

"Of course sir."

There was a silence that followed. The three S-class hunters were racked with shame and disappointment. Until a familiar voice was suddenly heard at the command room entrance,

"Were you all looking for this?"

Everyone turned to the entrance of the command room. There, leaning against the doorway with a smug look, was Ashe. She was tossing up and down a strange yet familiar object. It took them all a few moments to realize what it was.

A time crystal! While the previous time crystal they had seen had been pink, this one was blue with darker blue energy glowing in the center. Besides that, it was identical to the other crystal.

Everyone was stunned. Except Grey, who merely slapped himself,

"I knew you took not having a mission too well earlier!" He said, sounding slightly exasperated, "The time crystal started moving because Ashe had gone out and got it herself. Then she managed to sneak back here. The reason no one could detect it is because it was in the one place that the radars couldn't reach: Maverick Hunter HQ!"

Ashe chuckled while Axl suddenly remembered something, "Those Mavericks we saw destroyed…was that your work Ashe!?"

Ashe nodded at Axl, "Yep! Not a bad job, eh? Grey, you really do know me like a book, don't you?"

"Comes from trying to keep up with you during missions," Grey muttered.

Signas was furious, "Why would you risk yourself on such a reckless venture!? Our hunters were perfectly capable of handling it."

Ashe snorted, "For your information, one of the Mavericks had just cracked what the time crystal did by the time I got there. I took him out of course but if it wasn't for me, they would have been facing a time crystal wielding Maverick," Her voice then got low, "There are two reasons I did it."

"Really? Enlighten us."

"One, because that's what the Hunters of my time do. We retrieve things from places. You thought that was difficult? It was no different from getting some old artifacts from a Maverick-infested ruin for me. Here, catch," She tossed the crystal in X's direction. X caught and looked at it. If he didn't know what they were capable of, he would almost say that the crystal was a nice thing to look at.

"And the second reason?" Giro asked curiously.

Ashe's voice took on an irritated tone, "The second reason was because I wanted to prove that I'm not as helpless as _some_ people might think I am!" The last few words were nearly a snarl and caused everyone to jump.

"But you can't fight very well without your Biometal and Grey's using it so-"

Ashe cut Alia off, "He can unmerge so I can use it and back quickly enough that few will notice. And even when we can't do that, I can still fight without it. I was doing it long before the Model A chose me. You're just making excuses because none of you want me out there. The question I have is, why?"

"The simple reason is this: You're human. I'm not sure how the government would take it if they learned about you and that we were using you for dangerous missions," said Signas.

Ashe furrowed her brow in thought for a moment then said, "By any chance, was that Draynor guy with the government?"

"You met Draynor?" Giro asked.

"I did. That guy has some seriously twisted views. He wanted to use me for something, but I turned him down," There was a note of resentment in her tone.

"Why exactly?" X asked.

"I already said! The guy had some completely wrong ideas! He called reploids 'expendable' and crap like that. Said it was one of the reasons that normally only reploids are allowed to become Maverick Hunters. I could barely believe what he was saying."

The Hunters, meaning X, Zero, Axl, Alia and Signas, went into a silent shock. No matter what Vent and Aile might have said or have acted, they still had some difficulty believing that one day, humans and reploids would actually live together in peace. But Ashe's words were further enforcing what Vent, Aile and Giro had all said about their time.

"Ashe," said Giro gently, "Draynor's views reflect the opinions of a lot of humans in this time. I'm afraid it's just the way things are."

Ashe was silent for a few moments while Grey took in exactly what was being said. Up until this point, he didn't know what had happened when Ashe had gone with Draynor that day. But now he knew. So basically, reploids like himself weren't considered on the same footing as humans? He felt glad and a bit relieved that Ashe so strongly disagreed with such a view.

--

This chapter was longer than I thought it would be…ah well. Does anyone here read Anne McCaffery's Dragonriders of Pern books? After I'm done with this story and after I've done a story favor for NeoSpearBlade, I'm thinking of writing a ZX crossover in that fandom. I'm a reader as well as a gamer so I'm a big fan of Anne McCaffery's books.

As a treat for making you guys wait so long, I included part of my own version of a ZX Advent novelization. I can't help but feel that I rushed this chapter too much though.

In the next chapter, the focus temporarily shifts to P&P and the four Guardian Megamen. There's a surprising (and slightly unwelcome) appearance, some reflections on goals, and musings on this side of a conflict that threatens to echo throughout time.

A sincere thanks to all my reviewers!

R&R!


	16. Chapter 16

Hey everyone! I've been looking at some other crossover stories and I noticed a general pattern with them. In many of them, the protagonists from one world/time are usually and unexpectedly thrown into another world or time. And usually, the ones who preformed the crossover are stuck adjusting to a new time/world and comprehending what just happened. In other words, the crossover happens by accident and the main goal is for the protagonists who preformed the crossovers to get back to their world/time with the assistance of the protagonists in the world/time they landed in, more often than not trying to defeat the villains of one or both worlds/times in the process. Now I'm not saying that this applies to all crossover stories, it's just a general pattern I've noticed with them.

I think what makes my story different from many other crossovers is that all the characters who preformed the crossover (in this case, by traveling back in time) did it on purpose and had a firm motivation for doing so (Giro for example, went back in time in order to stop P&P, although he's starting to learn that it's become a lot more difficult then he originally anticipated). Most of the characters are also well aware of the consequences their presence may cause, some trying to avoid this best they can, others planning to use this to their advantage.

Sorry for that long rant, it's just something I noticed. This is a special chapter, as we'll finally get inside the heads of some of the villains in my story and make a few special introductions! So enjoy the latest chapter of "Twist in Time!"

--

"Why the hell did you bring _her_ here!?"

Thetis cringed. Atlas was reeaally scary when she got mad. She was about as stable as a yo-yo and if she went off when she was Megamerged, the best course of action was usually to just run for cover. At least in his opinion.

"Look just let me explain, alright? I think she'll be helpful." The girl in question was none other Hedgeshock, the hedgehog-like Pseudoroid from their time. She seemed slightly nervous, although her spikes hadn't flared up yet, which meant she wasn't on the defensive.

They were in the hideout that they had picked as a place to regroup and make plans. It was an old building, with wide open rooms and a few smaller rooms. They used most of the smaller rooms as private quarters. They were currently in one of the bigger areas. There was dim lighting, making it a bit hard to see.

"How could a Pseudoroid which was one of the weakest Albert had possibly be any use to us?" Prometheus asked.

"I can be helpful! I'll do anything to make myself useful!" Hedgeshock suddenly spoke up in her usual, hyper voice.

"That's the spirit!" Thetis lightly patted her, which set Hedgeshock to blushing.

Atlas's face suddenly lit up in realization, "Thetis, come here a minute." Despite the bad vibe he was getting from her, he edged closer to her. Atlas grabbed him and pulled him close. "Thetis…why did you bring her here?" _Yikes! I don't like the way she sounds!_ There was clearly a layer of irritation and possibly anger beneath her seemingly calm voice. Thankfully, he had a perfectly good reason for bringing along Hedgeshock. He managed a chuckle,

"It's not obvious?" He asked.

"Hey! Hey! I'm still here you know!" Hedgeshock suddenly piped up.

"Shut it. If the Ice Megaman here can't think up a good reason for your being here, you're as good as dead."

"C'mon Prometheus, there's really no need to be so harsh on her," Thetis said, giving Hedgeshock a wink, causing the Pseudoroid to blush again.

Atlas shook her head, "She has a crush on you! And you're flirting with her! What is up!?"

"I _know_ she has a crush on me. That's why I brought her here. Don't get the wrong idea, she's nowhere near my type, but as long as I humor her, she'll do nearly anything I say." Thetis explained. Then he shrugged, "I figure she'll be useful for _something_."

Atlas suddenly got the picture, "I get it, you're using her infatuation with you to your advantage."

"Um…Thetis? Mr. Promethues is starting to scare me a little…"

_Better make sure Prometheus doesn't wind up killing her._ An idea popped into Thetis's head, "I know what she can do! She can help power this place!"

"What do you mean?" Prometheus asked.

"Well, between your and Pandora's 'projects' and the basic things such as the lights, that generator isn't going to last for very much longer. I'm sure Hedgeshock can help us with it before this place goes dark."

Prometheus still seemed skeptical as Hedgeshock piped up, "I can do that! I can channel the electricity I make to the generator and help provide power!"

Before Prometheus could respond, Pandora entered the room. He turned to her, "Something up Sis?"

"I just came to inform you that the experiment with Chronoforce was a success…He'll be a valuable asset against the Chosen Ones and the Hunters…should they chose to interfere…"

Prometheus chuckled, "Great, now what are we supposed to do with her?" He gestured towards Hedgeshock, who jumped a little.

"What's she doing here…?"

"I brought her here," Thetis explained, walking up next to the nervous female Pseudoroid and stroking her, causing her to start blushing again, "I thought she might have some use."

"Which I highly doubt," Prometheus muttered.

"Well…the generator has been having some issues…"

"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!"

n/n/n/n/

"What!? Is that the reason that you've been collecting the crystals!?"

"Far from it Wind Megaman…" Pandora said. They were in one of the smaller rooms for the sake of privacy. Apparently, after what had happened with Hedgeshock, the Model H Chosen One wasn't very happy about the "friend" she and Prometheus had brought along. "Chronoforce is merely an experiment…One that was highly successful…He'll be an asset to you and the other three as well as to me and Prometheus…"

Aeolus seemed unconvinced, "We have enough trouble dealing with that irritating hedgehog, but TWO Pseudoroids?"

"We did not bring Hedgeshock…"

"I know that." Aeolus sighed, trying to cool his temper. He looked at Pandora straight in the eye, "I trust our deal still stands?"

"Of course…"

"Very well," He turned to leave the room, only to stop at the doorway, "I apologize for criticizing you. We do need all the help we can get. Even I have to admit that the odds are stacked against us, with both the Model A and ZX Chosen Ones teamed up with the legendary Hunters. Not to mention the Model Z Chosen One, of whom we know almost nothing about."

"Last time we saw…Model ZX was not on the same side as the Hunters and the Model A…"

Aeolus turned to Pandora in surprise, "How can you tell?"

"Remember…the Model X and its Chosen Ones arrived well after the Hunters did…they were clearly not with them…we can only assume that they are no longer allies…As for the Red Megaman…the Model Z Chosen One…We have defeated him in battle before…There is little reason that we should not be able to do it again…"

"I understand. Very well." And with that, Aeolus left.

Pandora allowed herself to relax. It was vital that she and Prometheus have the four Megamen on their side. The Hunters along with the other Megamen were formidable opponents. After she and Prometheus had completed their task, they would leave the time crystals to the four under a single condition. What would likely happen then was that they would fight amongst themselves in a restart of the Game of Destiny. She could care little about what happened to them after all this was over.

"Hey Pan, I just saw the perfectionist leave. What was it he was so steamed about?" Prometheus entered the room.

"He was simply upset about Cronoforce…" Pandora explained.

"I see…" Prometheus's eye darted to the window. It was night outside, with star dotted across the sky.

_I wonder what he's thinking about._ The fact was, Pandora didn't know her brother as well as she used to. Most of the time, he seemed lost in his own world of insanity, thinking only about their plans or his next opponent. But sometimes, _sometimes_, he would be like this, contemplating something that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Hey, Sis."

"Hm…?"

"This is going to sound crazy, but right after what happened with the Model Ws way back then…I though I heard…"

"Heard what…?" Pandora asked curiously. Was what her brother had heard what he was thinking about?

He shook his head, "I could have sworn that I heard the Model A Megamen actually wanting to _rescue_ us! Crazy, right?"

That did sound slightly nuts. After all, the Model A Chosen Ones had absolutely no reason to feel any kind of sympathy for either her or her brother. Why would they want to rescue them from anything? Pandora remained mute.

"Pandora?"

"What is it…?"

"Our plan. I really hope, for both of our sakes, that it works."

Pandora found herself staring out the window as well, looking out into the night. She felt a bit depressed, as she recalled memories from a time that was long past.

"I hope so to…"

--

I'd like to thank my reviewer Archaon for giving me the idea to use Chronoforce. As for the one sided HedgeshockxThetis, that was actually inspired by a piece of fanart that I found while casually looking through Google. I'll give you guys the link on my profile.

I made a reference to a certain scene in ZXA. Its pretty obvious, so those who've played the game should be able to catch it. I've done my best to minimize spoilers for those unfamiliar with the games. This was a short chapter but I promise that the next one will be longer.

I hope you're all prepared because the next chapter shifts the focus back to the heroes and is the first in a series of battles for the time crystals! A time crystal is found in a forest ruin. When the group goes to retrieve it, they are ambushed! Now the fight truly begins!

A sincere thanks to all my reviewers!

R&R!


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone! I'm back! First of all, this chapter was a lot longer then I originally anticipated, but I've already started work on the next chapter, so hopefully I'll get that out soon. It's hard to type things up when you're sharing a computer with someone while their laptop is being repaired, so that's why this chapter took longer then anticipated. On another note, it's been over a year since I started on this story. I can hardly believe it.

----------

"Hey Ashe, you okay in there?" Grey felt concern well up when there wasn't an answer from behind Ashe's door. Ashe was normally cheerful and perky, but after the mission yesterday, she had seemed, well, depressed. It wasn't like her, and it worried him.

"Something up?" Giro came up behind Grey.

"It's Ashe. Ever since the mission yesterday she has been, well, out of it." Grey stared at the door, "I just can't figure out why."

"She's probably just in shock," said Giro, "Aile reacted in a similar way. It can be hard to come to grips with it, but the fact is that this is a totally different time, with different values and different ways of seeing things. While in our time, reploids are treated with equal footing with humans, in this time, we're treated much differently, and with much more prejudice. That's just one of the major differences between this time and our own."

"So what do we do?" Grey asked.

"Leave her alone for now. We can check up on her later, just to make sure she's okay."

n/n/n/n/

_Hey Ashe, you alright?_ Ashe, who had fallen asleep, woke up at the sound of the familiar voice in her head. She sat up, and found the Model A, hovering over her.

"How did you get in here? Wait, never mind, I don't want to know. But what are you doing here?" She asked.

_I came to make sure you were doing okay. It isn't like you to be depressed. You have Grey worried too._

Ashe yawned, "I'm fine, its just…" She trailed off, unable to continue.

_It's just what? Come on, you can tell me._

Ashe sighed and looked at her pillow, "It's just that…this time is so different from ours…and with all the differences, I'm worried."

It took every ounce of Model A's will not to burst out laughing, _You? Worried? About what?_

Ashe looked up at the Biometal, "Model A, listen to me. That day I met Draynor, he asked about Grey. I'm worried that he's going to come back to look further into us. He suspects something, and I just know its not going to end well."

_But you're just as much a cause for suspect as Grey is,_ Model A pointed out, _Why isn't this Draynor character worried about you?_

"After what Giro told us, I now know its because the guy prejudiced," Ashe sighed, "I've been trying to think of some way to tell Grey what happened. After what I've learned about this time, I'm afraid that if we don't do something to explain him, Draynor might do something about Grey. And it won't be anything good either."

Model A took a few minutes to ponder this. _You may be right,_ It finally said, _But you certainly won't help things by drooping around like this! You'll only wind up getting everyone worried. So perk up! And you might want to talk to Grey in the morning._

Ashe chuckled at the Biometal. Although it was a bit…immature at times, Model A knew her as well as Grey did, and always seemed to find a way to make a situation seem that much better.

n/n/n/n/

"We detected this signal just a few minutes ago," Alia pointed to the spot on the screen.

"It's a time crystal, right?" Zero said it as a statement, not a question. The group had been called into the command room, two days after the mission in the military base.

Alia nodded, "It's located in an ancient forest. There are ruins there that the time crystal is likely hidden in."

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Unless we want that time crystal to start moving on us again, we better get going!" Axl said.

Giro nodded in agreement, "Even now, Pandora and Prometheus may be going after the crystal. Time is of the essence. Let's go!"

As the group gathered near the teleporter, Grey hung back a little to talk to Ashe.

"Are you alright? You were pretty down the other day," said Grey.

Ashe simply smiled at him, "It's nothing. Really."

The Model A said nothing but it was mentally frustrated that Ashe did just outright tell Grey what had been bugging her.

n/n/n/n/

It seemed peaceful enough but everyone in the group knew from experience that looks could be deceiving. There were birds chirping in the background, and although it was overcast, the green trees of the forest seemed to glow with their own light.

"Where do you think those ruins are?" Axl asked.

"About some yards that way," Ashe replied pointing in one direction. When she got a series of odd glances, she sighed irritably, "Hello! Hunter! I've worked with ruins in places like these for a long time! I know the signs that indicate that some are nearby. You see, greenery gets thinner in that direction, and there's no sign of charring, which means that a forest fire isn't the cause. That's a sure sign that there's been some human activity around that area. The forest is still trying to restore itself from whatever they did. It reasonable to assume that whatever happened was centered around those ruins."

Zero shrugged, "Sounds good enough for me."

The group started to walk in the direction that Ashe had indicated. Besides the wind and the occasional sound of a bird or another forest dweller, it was pretty quiet.

And that unnerved the Hunters.

At some point, they heard an "Ah!" They all quickly turned around.

Grey looked down at the sheer drop he had nearly fallen down. He had slipped and had nearly been sent tumbling down the cliff. He couldn't see the bottom and he got the feeling that if he hadn't caught himself in time, it wouldn't have been good.

"I didn't notice that before," Zero remarked, as he looked down into the abyss along with X, Giro and Axl. Trees grew up from it, rooted somewhere down at the unseen bottom.

"The plants around here must have prevented us from noticing it earlier," Giro remarked

"I'd hate to fall down there. It looks like a long way down," said Axl.

"I very nearly did," said Grey, feeling shaken.

"Hey! If you boys are done yet, I can see the ruins up ahead!" Ashe called out. They turned and looked in the direction they had been walking. Sure enough, just up ahead, the trees opened up into a clearing. And within the clearing, there was a series of ancient stone buildings. Although they could make out the details very clearly from this distance, there was clearly vegetation growing all over it and it was obvious that it had been a very long time since anyone had been there.

"Well, let's get moving," said Zero. As the group moved forward to the ruins, Axl hung back a bit, looking nervous. Zero looked back at him, "You coming kid?"

Axl, sounding unnerved, said, "Yeah, I am but…did it ever occur to any one _why_ people stopped coming out here?"

As if on cue, a large swarm of bug-like Mechaniloids came swarming into the area. Everyone quickly went into attack mode. Pretty soon, the air was filled with shots coming from both sides. X personally fired every which way in desperation. There were so many of them, that they blocked his view. Unfortunently, the Mechaniloids made it almost impossible for him to watch his step.

"X, watch it!" Zero's yell was the only warning the blue Hunter had. X took a step back, only to find that there was nothing behind him but thin air.

X fell over the sheer cliffside.

n/n/n/n/

It had been a bit of a drop, and X felt shaken as he stood up. After he confirmed that he hadn't sustained any damage, he took in his surroundings.

He had fallen into another part of the forest. The sun broke through the clouds and filtered through the trees. Up ahead, there were more ruins, perhaps ones where the time crystal was hidden. But there was also something else…

"The crystal should be somewhere around here. With any luck, this retrieval should go without interference." There was a human boy up ahead. He was facing the ruins with his back to X. He had pale green hair and wore a scabbard at his side.

"Who are you?" X asked.

The boy seemed startled and quickly turned around, taking a defensive position. A look of recognition quickly crossed his face, "You…you're one of the Maverick Hunters! One of the legendary heroes of this time!"

X seemed a bit confused, "You know me?"

"We've met once before, but I don't think we got around to proper introductions." The boy held out his sword and called out, "Megamerge!" There was a brief whirl of wind and lightning. When it settled, X gasped. Standing there, was one of the ones that had been with Pandora and Prometheus during their last encounter with the pair.

"You…You're with Pandora and Prometheus!"

The boy smirked, "Correct! I am Aeolus, the Wind Mega Man and Chosen One for Model H."

Mega Man! That was a name he hadn't heard since the last time they had faced Pandora and Prometheus. X's predecessor had that name. He had been a hero, one that fought for peace and justice…And his name was part of X's own. But why did Aeolus call himself this name now? Giro had said that Chosen Ones in his time were called Mega Men. But why?

X couldn't think on the subject any longer before Aeolus suddenly activated his flight thrusters and charged at him with duel sabers ready. X quickly got out of the way, a gust of wind billowing up as Aeolus flew by. Aeolus landed a short distance away, pivoted and charged again. X went one way to avoid him. What he didn't expect, was for Aeolus to change direction in midair. X quickly threw up his arms and felt two sabers bite into them.

"Why did you attack!?" X demanded.

Aeolus smiled, "I know you're not just going to let me take the crystal, so I decided that I might as well get the inevitable battle over with."

Drawing upon his reserve of strength, X managed to shove Aeolus back. He quickly summoned his buster onto his arm as Aeolus used his flight thrusters to gain altitude and hover, high in the air. X took aim…

And found he couldn't fire.

He just couldn't. This wasn't a Maverick. This was a _human_. To fight him would be to betray the last of the morals that he had when it came to fighting. It would make him no better then any of the Mavericks that he had fought in past.

X let out a cry of pain and surprise as he felt a pair of powerful cyclones rip through him.

Aeolus landed, "You hesitated. But why? You had no reason to."

X did a quick check of his systems. His energy was near the halfway point yet, but those cyclones had done a considerable amount of damage. He then noticed that Aeolus looked liked he was slashing the air. _Why would he do that?_ He, unfortunately, got his answer. A shockwave tore through the air, scoring a direct hit.

_Now_ X's energy had dipped just below the halfway point. He had to fight back. Yet he could not find the strength within him to do it.

Aeolus used his flight thrusters to get up close to X, who dashed out of the way quickly before he could be slashed with the two sabers.

He had to fight back…yet he couldn't…

Realization suddenly dawned on Aeolus, who promptly smiled, "Now I see why you won't fight. You're bound by the morals of this time."

"Wh-what do you mean?" X asked, his voice shaky.

"Exactly what I said," Aeolus responded as he turned to face X, "You believe that, because I'm human, that attacking me would make you Maverick. And in this time, that's effectively a death sentence. In addition, there's an unwillingness to fight in general. I can see that in your eyes. You would avoid this conflict altogether if you could."

With that short speech, Aeolus had hit on nearly every sensitive nerve X had. He was right…He couldn't fight…He didn't want to…

Another pair of cyclones slammed into X and he was blown back. His energy dropped near a critical level. If he didn't fight back…

"You are just as foolish as everyone else. You judge me, someone of another time, by your time's standards. Once we've finished gathering the time crystals, I'm going to make sure that any fools never get the chance to exist!"

The full impact of Aeolus's words hit X hard. _If I let him get the crystal, he and the rest of them will be closer to fulfilling their plan. And if we allow them to follow through with their plans, who know what will happen to the world? I've got to fight back..._ He began discreetly charging his buster.

"I won't destroy you. As we don't yet have all the crystals, there's no telling what impact that will have on history. I'll just have to settle for disabling you instead." Aeolus activated his flight thrusters and charged forward again with sabers ready.

A powerful blast of energy tore through him, severely injuring him in the process. The power of the blast had been incredible, something truly worthy of a legend.

X was left breathless from the attack. He had channeled an awful lot of power into that one attack, but it seemed to do the trick. Aeolus was clutching at his side, obviously having been badly injured in the blast.

Then the harsh reality of what he had just done settled in. Had that really been necessary? Was there some way he could have avoided all this? He had just hurt a _human_. Had this really been inevitable?

Aeolus seemed to be getting frustrated, "You…! I'll finish this here and now!" He drew out his sabers. But before he could strike, a familiar voice rang through the area,

"You! You're here for the crystal!" X looked up in the direction the voice had come from. Making their way up to them, was his friends. Ashe, the one who had spoken, was looking at Aeolus with a hostile glare. Grey and the others were coming up behind her.

Grey tensed when he saw Aeolus, "How did you get here?" He asked.

Aeolus merely hmphed, "We have our ways." He looked at the Model A Chosen Ones, clear antagonism in his eyes, "It appears I've made a minor miscalculation. But don't worry! I'll be back! Once we have the time crystals, the Game shall be able to recommence!"

"That's why you all are after the time crystals!? Hey wait!" Grey let out a sigh of frustration as Aeolus warped out.

"They want to restart the Game of Destiny? Is that what this is all about?" Ashe wondered.

"Somehow I doubt it. Pandora and Prometheus hated the Game remember?" Grey pointed out.

"That's true," Ashe agreed.

"I don't get it. I thought you two said that the Game was long over," Axl sounded understandably confused.

"That's what we thought too," said Ashe, "But even if that's the reason their after the crystals, that doesn't explain Pandora and Prometheus."

"So we have to assume it's something more," said Giro.

"Hey X, you okay buddy?" Zero walked up to X, who was thoroughly shaken.

"N-no…I'm not okay…Zero I just _hurt a human!_ I'm no better then the Mavericks now!" X felt like he was breaking down mentally. The battle had taken a harsh toll on him.

"Don't feel too guilty about it," said Ashe, "Aeolus and the other three members of his crew are no better then Mavericks. They've hurt their fair share of people."

"And besides if you hadn't, that guy would have gotten the time crystal," added Axl.

"True…" said X, sounding and feeling weak.

"Don't worry. We'll leave out the little detail that he was human in our report," Zero reassured him.

"Why would you do that?" Grey asked.

"Because when a reploid attacks a human, that reploid is usually immediately classified as a Maverick, under the assumption that the reploid must be infected with the Maverick Virus. And being Maverick is a death sentence." Giro explained.

"That's harsh," said Ashe, "And given the general opinion of reploids in this time, I bet that the Maverick labeled is abused, isn't it?"

Giro nodded, "More then you can imagine."

"Alright, so what about the crystal?" Axl asked.

"According to what Aeolus said, the crystal is within those ruins," X pointed.

As the group began to file off in that direction, Giro grabbed the shoulders of Grey and Ashe, "I need to talk to you two for a moment."

Grey and Ashe looked at him quizzically and he sighed, "I need to know more about these new Chosen Ones. Who are they? And how did they obtain their Biometals? And what about the Biometals themselves? Do they have evil personalities to contemplate their Chosen Ones?"

"We aren't sure about the Biometals. We've never heard them say anything," said Ashe, "All we know is that Vent and Aile originally had them and they were stolen from those two."

_I remember now._

"Model Z?" Giro asked.

_I knew that I had seen those four at another time. Their Biometals are being used against their will. Model X and I had theorized that those four Chosen Ones had found some way to suppress their Biometals' consciousness. _

"As for who their wielders are, they're Megamen who participated in the Game of Destiny," said Grey, "Their goal was to create their ideal world and they hoped to do that by winning the Game."

"In others words, the Game tempted them with power, which they eagerly sought," Giro sighed, "I suppose I was hoping for too much when I trusted the Biometals to choose people who would, perhaps, help Vent and Aile."

"Hey guys! Are you coming or not!?" Axl yelled.

"Coming!" said Giro.

n/n/n/n/

"X?"

"Huh?" X turned from his spot to see Ashe, who apparently had just come up. X was up on the roof of HQ, watching the sunset. What had happened that day still bothered him greatly. They had found the time crystal within the ruins. It had looked exactly like the others, except it was purple while the other two had been pink and blue. But it was what he had done that day that now haunted him. How could he have…? "How did you know I'd be up here?"

"Zero told me. And you might want to go see him once I'm through with you. He and Axl are starting to worry," Ashe replied, "You're still thinking about what happened today, aren't you?"

X remained silent and turned to look back at the horizon. How could she, a human herself, understand what he was going through? How could she understand how severe what he had done was?

Ashe took his silence as a 'yes,' "Well then, stop beating yourself up over it!" X looked back at her,

"You don't get it, do you? I hurt a _human_. I'm nothing more then a Maverick now."

"And that human was pretty much Maverick himself!" Ashe snapped back, starting to lose her patience. She then sighed, trying to calm herself down, "X, listen. If Aeolus and the others truly plan on restarting the Game of Destiny, then the world is in grave danger. I'm not sure of the full extent of the crystals' power, but if it's enough for them to restart the Game using them, they must be extremely powerful. Stopping Aeolus was a good thing. If he had gotten the crystal, they would have been that much closer to completing their plans."

X just continued looking out at the horizon. What Ashe said was true…but…

But it still haunted him. And it would continue to haunt him. He had done something he was never supposed to do today. He knew that his own creator had sealed him away to ensure that he would never do that very thing.

Ashe sighed. She wasn't getting through to him. She could see that. The one thing she didn't get was that if reploid-human relations were so strained in this time, then why did hurting a human bother X so much? She remembered how Signas had originally prevented her from going on missions to stop her from getting hurt. Did it all come back to being called Maverick?

"Any luck?" Zero came up the stairs that led to the rood.

Ashe turned and walked past the red Hunter, "Nothing. You try talking to him. The guy won't budge."

As she went down the stairs another thought struck her, one that stopped her in her tracks and sent a chill down her spine.

Draynor had asked about Grey. Ashe had since suspected that Draynor was on to them, and she had expressed her worries to the Model A earlier.

But what if the real reason that Draynor was suspicious about Grey was because he thought Grey was actually a Maverick, hiding out here at Maverick Hunter HQ? What if just because her partner was cause for suspicion, he would be accused of being Maverick despite the fact that he hadn't really hurt anyone (with the exception of Vent and Aile, what WERE those two up to right now anyway?) since he had came to this time?

The thought scared her and made her realize that Grey, her close friend and partner, may soon be in grave danger.

----------

Poor X. Looks like the upcoming battles are going to take a very harsh toll on him. He certainly isn't in the best of mental states after that battle. Oh, yeah, and I unintentionally made another subplot on the fly.

In the next chapter, another time crystal is found in an abandoned building. Axl goes to retrieve it, and gets a bit more then he bargained for! In the battle that follows, he finds himself face to face with another ally of Pandora and Prometheus. During the whole thing, Axl may finally learn part of the reason why Vent and Aile attacked him that day.


	18. Dangerous Shadows

Hey, everyone! Look who finally got her story files back! And look who's finally gotten one of her most popular stories off hiatus! That's right folks, "Twist in Time" in back! I've started naming my chapters if anyone has noticed. I can't say how frequently I'm going to be updating from here, as I've got another story in the Sonic the Hedgehog fandom, "A Hero's Return," going that I would like to put part of my focus on. Anyone here who's a Sonic the Hedgehog fan (Especially of the games and the Sonic Underground cartoon) should definitely check the story out. In the meantime, some very important questions are answered in this chapter, and the overlying mystery grows ever deeper. So enjoy the long awaited return of "Twist in Time!"

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot and my OCs.

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"How did I get stuck doing this again?" Axl asked. He had received a mission to retrieve a time crystal just a few hours earlier. The crystal had been detected in an old abandoned tower. The tower had once been a communications center, before Mavericks had attacked the area. There were still electronics running on what remained of the tower's backup power.

_Remember, X and Zero were sent out on another important mission. Ashe, Grey and Giro decided to take the day off and go out into the city. Ashe said that she found a way to disguise Grey and Giro so that they could go out into the city without being Megamerged._

"Alright, so tell me again why you decided to tag along?"

Model A chortled, _Because I was bored. Giro wouldn't let me go with then because they said it would attract too much attention if they were caught talking to me or the Model Z. I needed something to do, so I decided to keep you company._

Axl didn't mind the Biometal's presence actually. Once he had finally gotten used to another voice echoing in his head, he found that he actually held a lot in common with it. What frustrated him was that he was alone. Whenever he was alone on a mission, it reminded him of that one mission right before he had met X and Zero…

He shook himself of the thoughts. That had been a long time ago. And technically, he wasn't alone either. After all, he had the Model A for company.

"So why exactly did Vent and Aile attack me?" Axl asked as he made his way through the room that served as part of the tower's first floor. He stopped at the stairs.

What was left of them at least.

The stairs had crumbled. What was left couldn't possibly hold his weight up. He would have to wall kick his way up to the next floor.

As he did so, he heard the Model A talking in his head,

_Truth is, we aren't entirely sure. We used to be allies with Vent and Aile. They helped us during the Game of Destiny. We met a few more times, each time as friends. But then…_

Axl made the final wall-jump to the next floor, lost his balance for a moment the quickly regained it. He mentally slapped himself when he realized that he could have just turned into a flying reploid to reach the next floor. It was too late now though.

"So then what?" Axl asked.

_Well, they showed up at Hunter's Camp one day. At first, it was just like previous times we'd seen them. We did some catching up and I talked with Model X. But at some point, Vent and Aile asked to have me._

"How did Grey and Ashe react?"

_Well they wanted to know why. It was then that they dropped the bomb. They said that they discovered that I was going to become a very real threat in the near future. And in order to prevent that from happening, they wanted to get rid of me._

"Yikes. And none of you took that very well, huh?"

_Not really. In the end, they attacked, and we barely got away. And soon after that, the distortions occurred._

"Distortions?" Axl was now making his way along the second floor, which was similar to the first. He hadn't seen any Mavericks yet, which was at the same time a relief and unnerving.

_Temporal distortions I think was the exact term. Strange things, cracks in thin air is the best way I can describe them, began showing up at random at various places. Most of them were so small; no one could really do much with them. But then we saw one so big that…_

"What were those cracks, exactly?" Axl asked, sensing the Biometals hesitance. _And where the heck is that elevator shaft!?_ Axl though to himself in frustration. He had been trying to find it for a while now. But no matter where he looked, he couldn't seem to find it. He thought that if he could find the shaft, he would be able to easily reach the top floor.

_It turned out that those cracks were actually time rifts._

Axl stopped, putting two and two together, "Those rifts led to our time…" He started.

_And some of them were big enough that one could step through them._ Model A confirmed.

"And Vent and Aile used one of them to get to our time! In fact, I bet that's how everyone from your time got here! By using the time rifts!"

_Exactly! We saw them stepping through one of the rifts. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were up to. They intended to alter the past so that I didn't exist. We followed them through another rift._

"That's how all this started. With those time rifts. But what caused the rifts?"

_Beats me._

n/n/n/n/

Meanwhile, deep within a mountain range, a group of reploids were growing more and more frustrated with their situation.

"I can't believe we fell for it! How could we have been so _stupid?_"

"Calm down Zero, getting angry won't help anyone," X said, his voice completely calm. He and Zero had been sent out to eliminate a group of Mavericks hiding out in the mountains. Unfortunately, they had fallen for a very clever trap. Now they were stuck inside a cave, with both their respective units, and outside was a huge Mechaniloid just waiting for them to come out.

"What do we do now sir?" One of the other reploids asked.

Actually, that was a very good question. From what X could see, they were trapped. They couldn't use their busters, the Mechaniloid was bound to react violently and bring the whole cave down on them. Short range attack were also out of the question, as the thing would likely shoot them and drive them back into the cave before they could do anything. They were stuck.

But at least they were fighting reploids. Maverick reploids and Mechiniloids, not…X had to repress a shiver and force himself off his train of thought. He didn't like thinking about his encounter with Aeolus. He couldn't think about it now, not with a mission in progress.

"I think it's safe to say that we're open to suggestions here," X finally admitted.

There was a very long silence, interrupted only by the quiet muttering of a slightly stir-crazy Zero. None of them were sure how long they were there, seconds, minutes, hours? After a long while, one of the reploids at long last, spoke up,

"Um, sir, I might have a plan, but it's kinda risky."

"Tell us," Zero prompted, "Anything's better then hanging out here waiting for our energy to run out."

n/n/n/n/

"Finally!" Axl looked up the elevator shaft. The elevator itself wasn't present, there were only a few hanging cables to indicate that one had even been there. The walls of the shaft itself were dirty with mold growing in some places. There was a faint light shining at the top.

_How the heck do you plan on getting up there?_ Model A asked.

Axl smiled, "I already know for a fact that you allow Grey and Ashe to change into enemies they've defeated before, right?"

_Right, but what does that have to do with-?_ The Biometal got its answer a second later.

Axl had changed into a flying reploid, Mach Jetra from his mission in Giga City more specifically.

_Oh…_

"This is the first time you've seen me transform, right?"

_Yeah…guess that only reinforces the theory that I was based on you._

Flapping his new form's wings, Axl took flight. Using his new form's jets, he literally shot up the shaft. In no time, he was at the final floor. Blasting the door blocking his way out of the shaft, he landed on the edge of the now open entryway.

He changed back to normal and walked forward. This area was a lot darker, with only a few flickering lights to illuminate it, making it hard to see. It was also strangely empty.

Axl flicked on his comm., "Hey Pallette, where exactly in this place was the crystal supposed to be?" Since Alia was acting as the navigator for X and Zero at the moment, Pallette was his navigator for this mission.

Unfortunately, at the moment, all he got over the comm. was static.

Axl cursed, "Damn, that's not good."

_Uh, Axl…? I think I heard something…_

"Huh?" There was a whooshing sound, so faint he could barely hear it. Axl quickly turned around, "Who's there!?"

No answer.

"Maybe I'm imagining things." It was futile trying to convince himself. The Biometal had obviously heard whatever was in the area with them.

There was another faint whooshing sound. And Axl was getting more and more spooked by the minute.

"Whoever's there! Show yourself!"

Another faint whooshing and then…

"TARGET CONFIRMED. PROCEED WITH COMBAT."

n/n/n/n/

_What the hell are you doing here?_ Model Z was in Giro's room, left there while his friend went to the city. And the one that had just floated in was none other then the Model X, having phased through the wall. The Biometals had that ability, being part data.

_If you must know, I'm on a kind of recon mission._ Model X replied floating near the red Biometal.

_Recon mission? For Vent and Aile I assume?_

_Who else? And you sound a bit bitter there._

_Those two effectively betrayed me and Giro._ Model Z spat, _So excuse me for sounding bitter._

_They honestly didn't want to, once they knew that you and Giro was involved. No matter what may have happened, they still consider you two close friends. As do I. But we had no choice. Z, if you had still been with us, you would have understood._

_So enlighten me. What exactly happened before you three came to this time? Those two may be trying to do something nearly unforgivable, but I know them well enough to know they wouldn't be doing it without good reason._

Model X sighed, _Very well, you deserve to know after what we did to you last time._

_You mean when I tried to cancel the merge once I realized what was happening? And you three effectively tried to suppress me? I wasn't thinking clearly for hours afterward._

_I could tell from the lame excuse you made for leaving us after that conflict. It was only part of the reason. You claimed that you had to remain with Giro, but what was happening went against your very beliefs._

_As I said before, my mind was still foggy. I'm not entirely sure what I was saying that night either. So are you going to tell me what the hell led to all this?_

Model X bobbed in the air slightly, seeming troubled, _It all started when we found an old laboratory within some ruins. What we found in that lab, that what was made us realize that the world wasn't nearly as safe as we thought it was. And it was then that we also realized that the Model A could not be allowed to exist any longer._

_What the hell did you find?_

_You're better off not knowing, trust me._

_Alright, then what happened?_

_First of all, we tracked down Ashe and Grey. And we asked them for Model A. But they saw right through us. Even when we told them there was danger if A continued to exist, they still refused to hand it over. And then…we had no choice…_Model X trailed off.

_What did you do?_ Z prompted.

_We attacked them. Tried to force the Model A away from them. In a way, I guess we weren't thinking very clearly. All we cared about was getting A and destroying him. The three of them got away. And we were left with the regret of knowing that out former allies were now our enemies._

_X, I'm not sure what the hell you found or why you believe that A is dangerous. But frankly, you three have been making a lot of powerful enemies since you started this little crusade of yours._

_We didn't want it to be this way. We honestly didn't._ The two Biometals hovered there, Model X seeming more depressed then Z had seen him in years. Then Model X spoke again, _Now for a few questions of my own. What the hell happened to you after the Ouroborus?_

_I couldn't tell you. _Model Z said flatly.

_What!? Why not!?_

_Apparently, someone tinkered with me and some point, because some of my memories are scrambled. The last clear thing I remember from when I was with you three is Vent and Aile talking to Grey and Ashe after fighting with them over that Model W. Everything after that is iffy, only bits and pieces standing out, with the only thing with anything close to being clear what happened on the Ouroboros . The next truly clear thing I remember is being on a bedside table with none other then Giro out cold on the bed. Took me a few minutes to convince myself it wasn't a dream._

_I can imagine._

_You should have seen Prairie's reaction. You know as well as I do how she feels about him. I'm honestly surprised how much she was able to hold herself back when he finally woke up._

_What happened after that?_ Model X prompted.

_Pandora and Prometheus is what the hell happened. Those two used the temporal distortions that were occurring to get to this time. And we had no choice but to follow them. We didn't want Vent and Aile to get caught up in the business of time traveling._

_Which they did anyway._

_True._

_Any idea who messed with your memories?_

Model Z did the mental equivalent of shaking his head, _None. But both me and Giro have theorized that the person who messed with my mind was the same one who resurrected Giro._

_But why?_ Model X had to wonder, _For what purpose?_

_We don't know. All we know is that we are here now and our purpose is to send that insane nutjob of a Grim Reaper and his little witch companion back to their proper time. After that, then maybe we can investigate the mystery behind all this._

Model X pondered all this for a moment before speaking again, _I better get going. Any idea where-?_

_If you're looking for Axl, he was sent on a mission. Same with X and Zero. As for Giro, Ashe and Grey, those three went to the city._

_Giro and Grey went without being Megamerged?_

_Ashe claimed to have an idea to hide their identity. _

_I see. _Model X floated to the outside wall with the intention of leaving. It paused a moment before phasing through, _Model Z, none of us wanted it to get this bad. Our only intention was to preserve the world. If you only knew…_

Model Z sighed, _X, I don't trust you any less then I did before. Call it an instinctive feeling. And from what I've seen from this time so far, it seems as if that instinct was strongly founded._

The blue Biometal managed a mental chuckle, _Yeah, our past selves seem pretty close don't they? Well, farewell for now Z._ And with that, the Biometal phased through the wall.

n/n/n/n/

"Who the hell!?" Before Axl, stood one of Pandora and Prometheus' allies. It was that demonic purple one, with the ragged cape and glowing red eyes staring at him from a white and purple mask.

Model A gulped, the Biometal taking refuge behind him, _That's Siarnaq. He's the Chosen One for the Model P and is called the Shadow Megaman._

At the Biometal's words, Siarnaq seemed to vanish. "What the-Where did he go?" Axl began spinning around, trying vain to locate him.

_To your right!_

Axl reacted just in time to dodge a flurry of throwing knives. Looking in the direction they had come from, he got a brief glimpse of the dark figure before it vanished again. Swearing under his breath, Axl scanned the area again for his elusive opponent. Another flurry of knives shot from the dark, this time from above. He dashed to get out of the way, one of the knives barely hitting him.

Once again, when he looked up, the figure vanished. "How the hell is he doing that!?" Axl asked in frustration.

_That's one of Siarnaq's special abilities! He moves so fast, it's like he disappears and reappears at will! _The Model A explained.

"Any idea how I fight this guy?"

_Try anticipating his movements. He has to reappear to attack. Just watch out for-_

"Holy shit!"

_-His shuriken…_

If Axl were human, he would have started sweating right then and there. A huge shuriken, which he had just barely avoided, was embedded in the ground just a few feet from him. Once again, Siarnaq vanished just as Axl spotted him. Alright, he had to _think_! What could detect something moving quickly in the dark…dark…detection…that was it!

Axl shape shifted again, this time into a bat-like reploid. He cast out a wave of sound in his new form. The reverberating echo told him that there was something in the room, moving at a very fast, confirming the Model A's statement that Siarnaq was simply moving too fast for the eye to follow.

Another idea occurred to Axl. He was surprised he came up with it. Using his new forms' sound based abilities, he released a very high frequency noise, earning a metal yelp of complaint from the Model A.

The noise had the intended effect. Siarnaq stopped short, his hands shooting up to where his ears normally would be. Axl chose that moment to act. He transformed back, locked on and fired his dual pistols. The purple warrior was startled. Axl got off a few good shots before he vanished again. It was futile. Axl had locked on to him and could now easily follow him around the room.

Axl kept firing. A thought suddenly occurred to him. He addressed the Model A,

"Hey, this guy is a reploid, right?"

_Far as I know._

"Just making sure." Axl resumed firing. Although the shadow warrior's speed allowed him to avoid some of the plasma shots, most of them found their mark. Siarnaq didn't stop moving, not until Axl heard him say,

"OBJECTIVE DETECTED. RETRIEVING…"

"What the hell?" Axl stopped firing as Siarnaq reappeared briefly before disappearing again. When he reappeared again, he was holding something. It didn't take Axl even a moment to realize what the green object was.

"A time crystal!" He cried out.

"OBJECTIVE COMPLETED. COMMENCING RETREAT."

"Hey wait!" Axl ran up to Siarnaq, but was too late.

Siarnaq warped out.

And took the time crystal with him.

n/n/n/n/

"Wow. You guys look worse for wear." That was Ashe's comment when she saw the three Hunters enter the lounge, them having returned from their missions. All three of them were absolutely exhausted. Ashe, Giro and Grey were relaxing on one of the couches. Giro was now Megamerged but Grey had on a jacket and a hat, clearly meant to disguise his appearance.

"What the heck happened to you guys?" Grey asked.

"Let's see…First we encounter an unstable Mechaniloid, then we get lured straight into a trap set by the Mavericks and we holed up in a cave for who knows how long while we try to figure out a way to bring the damn thing down." Zero was not in the best of moods. The mission had been successful, but it had been hard as hell to complete.

"At least we didn't lose anyone," X reminded his friend. Zero grumbled but made no comment.

Axl on the other hand, was strangely quiet. Giro was the first to notice.

"Something wrong?" He asked the black reploid.

_A lot of things happened during our mission. _The Model A spoke as it floated over to Ashe and Grey. There was a quick flash of light as Grey Megamerged. _But long story short, Siarnaq appeared, attacked us, and took the time crystal!_

"A time crystal!?" Ashe said in shock.

"A time crystal was found!?" X exclaimed upon hearing Ashe mention one of the powerful crystals.

"Was," Axl replied, sounding depressed, "But we couldn't get it…I'm sorry guys…"

A long silence hung in the air. None of them were quite sure what to make of this new revelation. How many time crystals did their enemy have now? How many were there altogether and how many were left?

Model A finally broke the silence, _So, what did you guys do in the city?_

Ashe smiled, "It was great! You see, I first bought a few things to make sure no one recognized Giro or Grey. Then we walked around, had lunch at this fantastic restaurant and relaxed in this gorgeous park!"

"Least you guys had a good day," Zero grumbled.

They all shared a laugh, except for Zero who was glaring daggers. It was a much needed release of tension. By the time they all said good-night and left the lounge for their respective quarters, they all felt much more relaxed. But a nagging feeling, a shadow, was still cast upon their thoughts.

How much closer to the fulfillment of their plans were Pandora and Prometheus now? What, exactly, did they plan to do with the crystals?

The answer would come sooner than they ever expected.

Deep within a large old building, a female figure floated in front of a huge tank of water. The room was dark, so it was impossible to make out anything else other then the dimly lit tank. And even then, only a huge shadow could be seen in the tank. The female, looking at shadow in the tank, spoke only three words:

"It is time…"

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Killed you all with this cliffhanger, huh? All of you who read the preview (which I replaced with this chapter) should be able to guess what's coming next. I know the battle was a little short, but you gotta remember, the time crystal was close by and Siarnaq's main objective was to retrieve it.

It's about darn time that I gave Model X and Model Z a slightly larger role not to mention a bit more personality. The part with them was a bit longer then I anticipated however. And the mystery deepens doesn't it?

In the next chapter, after an accident during an at sea mission Grey finds himself stranded all alone. But deep beneath the ocean depths, a powerful force stirs. Grey is suddenly in a battle for his life as he faces a foe as powerful as time itself! And he has to do it without anyone's help (except for the Model A of course). If Grey can defeat this enemy, he may get a glimpse of Pandora and Prometheus' true plans.

A sincere thanks to all my reviewers!

R&R!


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